Love Always, Mercedes
by PeaceLoveandLife
Summary: Makyira is a 7-year old being raised by her loving parents Quinn and Sam Evans. There's just one problem. They're not her parents. When her biological mother Mercedes Jones makes contact with the young girl, will this break up their happy home? Will Past secrets affect their seemingly perfect family? Or lead to future mistakes?
1. The letter

**A/N:** Hello FANtastic readers! This is my first Glee Story and I'm very excited. Feel free to review or PM me to let me know what you think. Hope you enjoy :)

* * *

May 20, 2020

Makyira's Diary Entry #1

Dear Diary, 

Yesterday was a really big day. So big that I had to write about it. Cuz that's what my mommy says my diary is for. Making memories. Even though I first told her that I didn't think I needed it, I'm happy I have it now. She got it for me last Christmas and now I finally have something to write about. I was reeeeaaaaallllyyy mad at her when I opened my gift box and saw this instead of the new IPAD X. All my friends have one, and daddy pretty much promised me I was gonna get one too. I got it anyway, so I wasn't mad anymore :P It's kinda funny cuz I'm writing about something that will probably make mommy feel really bad. Daddy too. I know it could make things bad but-

"Mak. Come on, honey. We're running late," Sam said as he stood in the doorway of his 7-year old daughter's bedroom. He was adjusting his tie and smiled as he saw her writing in the journal that his wife Quinn bought for her a few months ago.

"K, daddy." Makyira said as she got up from her bed and closed her diary before putting it in her backpack. She began zipping it up when Sam spoke again.

"It's raining this morning, so don't forget your jacket and umbrella."

"Got it."

Without a second thought, she put on her backpack and walked over to her closet, opened the door and bent over to pick the umbrella up from the floor. She made a face of pure disgust as she looked at the bright pink piece of rain gear. _'Ugh' _she thought. She always HATED the color pink, which is unfortunate considering it's been the theme of her bedroom for as long as she could remember.

Sam chuckled softly as he saw Makyira's face._ 'So much for growing out of it.' _"Honey, you know how your mom feels about your things not being kept organized. Umbrellas have handles for a reason-"

"-So they can go on hooks, not the floor." They both said before playfully rolling their eyes and giggling.

"Daddy's girl, through and through."

"Yep!" Mak said as she stood up and got her jacket. The shift in her position caused her diary to fall out of her backpack and onto the floor.

"EXCELLEENNNT," Sam said in his best 'Crush' voice.

"Finding Nemo!" Makyira shouted as took off her backpack and began putting on her jacket.

"Correct you are, ma'am. And bonus points for your enthusiasm."

Mak giggled as she retrieved her backpack and walked over to her dad. "Daddy you are so silly."

Sam smiled as he finished adjusting his tie and reached down to pick up the caramel-colored little girl.

"Come on, let's give mommy her hug and kiss before we get going."

* * *

They headed to the master bedroom where an exhausted Quinn lay in bed, the blankets covering her from head to toe.

Sam tiptoed over to the bed and whispered in Makyira's ear before placing her on top of bed.

"On three. One, two, THREE!"

"Mommy, mommy, mommy! Wake up! We about to leave."

Quinn smiled as she began to remove the covers from body. "It's 'we're,' baby. Not 'we.'"

"I know. I just knew that would get you up faster."

"Ohhh, I should have figured. Let me guess, you and daddy came up with this idea?"

"Yep! I mean yeah."

Quinn began laughing as she turned her attention to Sam.

Sam chuckled nervously. "Well, what can I say?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing, my big goofball." Quinn said as she sat up in the bed and placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. She reached up and put her hand on Sam's cheek and brought him down for a kiss.

"Ewwww, now we really got- I mean have to go. Love you mommy. Come on daddy!" The 7-year old said as she jumped out of the bed and grabbed Sam's hand, leading him towards the door.

"Okay, okay I can take a hint. See you tonight, babe."

Quinn smiled as she placed one more quick kiss on her husband's lips. "You're picking up Makyira from school today right?"

"Yes, ma'am. We should be back around 4:30 or 5 after we're done shopping."

"Oh, right for Rosie's year-end class party. Okay, well I'll be here. Dinner should be ready around 6."

"Okay. Have a good day."

"You too," Quinn said before turning her attention back to Makyira and motioning for her to come over. "I love you, sweet angel."

"Love you too, mommy." She said as Quinn kissed her cheek and they embraced in a large hug.

Sam watched from in front of the closet as he put on his jacket and grabbed his briefcase. Makyira ran over to him and grabbed his hand again. As they began to leave the room, they both spun around to blow Quinn a kiss. She pretended to catch both kisses and returned the gesture before they left.

* * *

About an hour later...

Quinn had begun her daily cleaning. Life as a stay-at-home wife and mom allowed her the luxury of devoting more time to her home and child. Early mornings were busy but the alone time gave her an opportunity to get the housework over with so that by the time Makyira and Sam returned, she could focus all energy on spending time with her family, something that her own mother constantly reminded her was essential to womanhood.

She was currently checking her daughter's room to make sure everything was in order. Though Makyira wasn't a slob, she and her father definitely didn't view neatness as a necessity the way Quinn did.

After a quick look in the closet, Quinn thought that everything looked fine and in order, so she was headed out of the room. As she made her way towards the door, she stumbled over something on the floor.

"Whoa." She quickly looked down and saw Makyira's diary.

She sighed as she picked it up. "Makyira Elizabeth Evans. I knew it was too good to be true."

As she made her way back across the room, she reached out to place the notebook onto Makyira's desk and an envelope fell out of the notebook and onto the floor. She noticed that it was addressed to Makyira personally and immediately became concerned.

"What the-"

She grabbed the envelope and read the outside:

Makyira Evans

12095 Vine Ave.

Lima, OH 45802

"I don't believe this." She looked at the upper left corner to read the return address:

Mercedes Jones

27907 Hansford Rd. 

Lima Heights, OH 45811

"Mercedes Jones?"

Quinn flipped the envelope over only to see that it was already open. Slowly, she reached inside and pulled out the letter. After unfolding it, she began to read. She didn't even get to through the first paragraph before her eyes began to well up with tears.

Dear Makyira,

If you receive this letter, I hope you'll read it carefully and take these words to heart. What I have to tell you is very important. So important in fact that words can't really explain it. You might be too young to understand this, but I hope you'll read anyway, after what I have to tell you. 

I'm your mother.

It's a very long story, and I can only imagine all the questions you might have, but it's true. First and foremost, I want you to know that I love you very much. I always have and I always will. And I know that your parents Quinn and Sam love you as well. The last thing I want is to cause you any pain by scaring you into thinking I'm going to take you away from them. But I do want the chance to get to know you and for you to get to know me. Included are my home number (440) 329-8346 and my cell number (440) 522-9833. Please contact me whenever you like. I hope to hear from you soon. Remember, I love you, pretty girl.

Love always,

Mercedes


	2. The truth

**A/N**: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews, the follows and favorites! I was so happy to see the response this story got :)

To Toni Michelle, your review stuck with me because it's exactly what I would've written if I reviewed this story. You're on the right track by observing Sam, Quinn and Mak's family relationship/dynamics. That will be important as the story progresses, especially within the next few chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee characters, just my own (the kids: Mak, Rosie, Leslie and Eli).

Here's chapter two!

* * *

"Oh my…How did…what is this?" Quinn said between sobs. She loosened the grip of her hands on the letter and brought one up to cover her mouth in shock. Mercedes Jones. The name didn't sound familiar, but then again she didn't expect it to, considering the history behind Makyira's adoption.

After taking a few calming deep breaths Quinn refolded the letter, placed it inside the envelope and walked out of the room. As she headed towards her bedroom, she began to rack her brain about what all this could mean. _'Okay calm down. She said she didn't want to take her away. She wants to get to know her, NOT take her away from her parents. Parents. She knows we love her. SHE WON'T. TAKE HER. AWAY. Just get it together. I mean Sam and I…we've had this conversation before. About what we'd do if something like this happened. That's it! Sam! Why the hell didn't I think about this sooner?'_ She rushed into her room and quickly walked over to her bedside table and picked up the house phone. She dialed Sam's cell number and listened as the phone rang, hoping to God that he wasn't stuck in a meeting or otherwise unavailable. After 5 rings and no answer, there wasn't much Quinn could do to prevent the tears that began to fall from her eyes.

"God, where are you Sam?" she said as she began to sob. She took a seat on the edge of the bed and grabbed one of the pillows as she listened to phone go to voicemail. She sighed and clutched the pillow close to her chest.

"Sam?...Baby, I don't…I don't know….how to t-t-tell you this. It's important…There's a woman…named Mercedes…she- she sent Makyira a letter claiming to be her mother. I just…I don't know what to do…or what to think about any of this. I found it in Makyira's room, and I think she already knows. Just…just please call me back! Baby, I'm so scared. Just please…please call me." Quinn choked out before hanging up the phone. She lowered her head and buried her face into the pillow, allowing herself to cry hysterically.

She knew this wasn't good. No matter how much she told herself that this 'Mercedes' wouldn't be a problem, in her heart she knew that things would never be the same. Whether she sues for custody or meets her and walks out of her life for good, Makyira will never look at Quinn as her mother again. Even after explaining the truth about her adoption to her a few years ago, her relationship with Quinn and Sam didn't seem to change. Sure she hadn't taken the news well at first, but after a few days she was more curious about her birth parents than she was upset about her adoption. Unfortunately, neither Sam nor Quinn were able to provide her with much if any answers to her questions, and soon after they pretty much just stopped discussing it altogether. _'God, was I a fool to think this was over? Why did this have to happen? Our lives were perfect until now.'_ Quinn pondered as she raised her head and looked over at the pictures on the bedside table. There were several, some with her, some with Sam, but all of them with Makyira. She picked up the one in the middle of Makyira when she was just about 21 months old. It was the first professional picture they'd had taken of her, a few weeks after she officially became a permanent part of their lives. Her beautiful brown eyes sparkled as she smiled an unbelievably big smile for the camera. Dressed in a white and yellow plaid dress Sam's dad and his siblings Stevie and Stacey picked out for her, complimented by an adorable, matching hat his mom knitted herself. Makyira looked so happy wrapped securely in Sam's strong arms. The look on his face was one that promised he'd never let her go. His green eyes were misty as he looked down at the baby girl with a loving smile. Quinn's expression however would put other new mothers to shame. Her eyes were closed dreamingly while she was photographed placing a sweet kiss on the top of the Makyira's head, one hand holding her little foot while the other held Makyira's hand. Quinn remembered how many people, the photographer included complimented them on what a beautiful baby Makyira was and what a lovely family they were. Makyira was always a happy baby, so she loved the attention, giggling and babbling while her cheeks were pinched and kissed.

"My beautiful little girl." She said as she stared at the picture. "Our sweet angel. I won't let anything change that." As Quinn continued looking at the picture a thought crossed her mind. There was still a chance that Makyira already knew about Mercedes' letter. After all, the envelope was open and being kept inside her diary. Her diary. _'Oh no. If she kept it in her diary, then she probably…Oh God. She's been writing about this. She does know.'_

Quinn quickly threw the pillow onto the bed and made her way back into Makyira's room, never releasing the picture frame. As she approached her desk, she reached out a shaky hand to pick up the notebook. She turned to the first page and began to read.

* * *

Meanwhile at Ridgewood Elementary School...

"Okay class, now that I've written the instructions on the board, please begin. I want you all to work on this writing assignment for the next 30 minutes until it's time for recess," said Ms. Harris before she stepped outside of the classroom for a moment.

Makyira smiled as she reached around her chair to get her backpack.

"Yo Mak Attack, what are you doing? You know Hairball said we've got to work on this stupid project. You better not be getting out one of your dad's comic books," whispered Rosalyn Puckerman.

"Rosie shhhhh. I'm getting my diary. 'Member I told you I'm gonna write about my family?"

"Oh. Right," Rosie said as she turned her attention back to her own paper. Her hazel eyes now sad as she began doodling.

She and Makyira have been best friends forever, just like their parents. Her dad, Noah Puckerman is one of Makyira's godfathers, and her mom Santana Lopez is one of her godmothers. She's currently living with her dad and his new girlfriend Rachel, while her mom is living with her girlfriend Brittany. Rosalyn took the news of her parents' divorce pretty hard at first, and she began acting out as a result. Causing fights in school, picking on her 3-year old brother Elijah, and screaming at Santana about how the divorce was all her fault and that she hated her. Eventually Santana decided to allow Rosalyn to live with her dad instead, thinking that she'd better off with him considering how close they'd always been. With his support she's steadily gotten back on track in the right direction.

"Oh I'm sorry Rosie. I didn't mean to make you feel bad. You know you don't have to write about your family. If I didn't get this letter a few days ago, I probably would be writing about our vacation to Bermuda. Ms. Harris just said that we're supposed to write about something that we're excited about this summer."

"Please, Hairball can kiss my ass. I don't care about this assignment. Ella es una puta fea estúpido."

"Oh my gosh, Rosie. You can't say stuff like that. I'm not sure about what you said in Spanish, but knowing you it was probably worse than the English part," said Leslie Chang.

Ms. Harris returned to the classroom and saw the 3 girls weren't focused on the assignment. "Girls, is there a problem?"

"No Ms. Harris," said Mak and Leslie, while Rosie simply rolled her eyes.

"Alright, well then please get back to your writing. Recess will be soon and you can talk then, okay?"

"Yes Ms. Harris." The girls said. Rosie groaned at this.

"Rosalyn, is there something wrong?"

Rosie looked up and fixed her mouth to yell, "Yeah, actually-" she was stopped as Mak loudly cleared her throat drawing the other girl's attention. She brought her hand up to cup her cheek and mouthed the words 'Don't do it.'

Rosie sighed and changed her attitude. "Actually, I was going to say I'm sorry for talking instead of focusing on the assignment." She plastered on a smile. "It won't happen again, Ms. Harris."

The teacher was nearly speechless. "Oh, well thank you Rosalyn. That's very sweet of you." She smiled before taking her seat at her desk in the front of the classroom.

Rosie dropped the smile and looked at Mak before she playfully stuck out her tongue. Mak smiled and turned to look at Leslie who was currently holding her tiny hands together as tightly as possible with her head tilted upward thanking God that they didn't get in trouble. Mak looked over at Rosie and saw her confused and annoyed expression. They both rolled their eyes and giggled. Mak remembered that she wanted to get her diary and unzipped the large outer compartment of her backpack. As she looked inside, she felt her heart drop. _'Where is it?'_ She thought as she frantically began to search deeper inside the pocket. It wasn't there. _'But I put it in here before I left this morning. Oh no, I lost it.'_ Makyira thought as tears began to form in her eyes_. 'No, it had the letter and everything.'_ The tears began rolling down her cheeks. She put her belongings inside her desk, quietly so not to draw attention to herself, crossed her arms on top of the desk and placed her head down as she continued to quietly sob.

* * *

Back at home...

Quinn felt completely helpless.

After reading Makyira's diary entry, she knew that something had to be done. What kind of mother would she be to just sit around and let another woman, a total stranger make contact with her daughter. _'Who is she? Where did she come from? Why is she doing this?'_ These were just some of the questions that were filling her head. She shuttered as she thought about Makyira's words. _'...I'm writing about something that will probably make mommy feel really bad.'_ Quinn figured that she was obviously referring to the Mercedes' letter. She hated that her child was worried about hurting her feelings, but at the same time, to a lesser degree she was pleased. At least she still cared. Maybe this meant that Makyira wasn't going to lose sight of their relationship. That possibility is what worried Quinn the most. She tried not to get too upset, because the way she saw it, there's still no telling if this Mercedes was really who she says she is. This could be some sort of misunderstanding or something. Hopefully that is.

Quinn sat in the living room and willed herself not to call Sam again. It was only 11:30 and within the last hour she's already called and left 10 messages on his cell. The voice mailbox for his work phone was full and when she spoke to his secretary she told him that he was in meetings all day. Although Quinn treated this as an emergency, she knew Sam was busy and didn't want to worry him. If she asked his secretary to call him out of the meeting he would assume the worse. _'No need for both of us to panic. Maybe this can wait until he gets home.' _With her decision made, she grabbed the remote control and turned on the large plasma TV. Maybe watching one of her favorite daytime talk shows would clear her mind. "Anything but 'Dr. Phil.'"

During a commercial break for 'The View' the phone started to ring which instantly put Quinn on alert. She stared at it for a while longer and picked it up on the 5th ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby, it's me. My cell died earlier and Veronica told me that you called. Everything okay?" asked Sam.

Quinn hesitated before answering her husband. "Um yeah. I just….I guess I just felt like hearing your voice."

"Awww, getting sappy in your old age, huh?"

Quinn chuckled while trying to keep her emotions at bay. "Oh please since when is 29 'old'?"

"Yeah you say that now."

Quinn had to giggle, he was telling the truth. Things didn't always seem so easy when it came to parenting, especially when Mak was 5 and first enrolled in school. Between PTA meetings, bake sales, extra-curricular activities, church food drives, galas and events for Sam's family's business and more, it took a while for things to get as natural as they are now.

"Okay, I'll give you that. You're right."

"What? I'm right? Hold on a second while I do my victory dance."

"God Sam can't you take anything seriously?" asked an amused Quinn.

"Hmmmm let me think. Nope!"

"Ha ha ha," Quinn said sarcastically. She almost considered telling Sam about what was going on, but couldn't. _'He'll be home soon. We'll just sit down, and I'll calmly explain everything to him. Don't make things worse, Quinn.'_

"Tell you what. Why don't I call Santana later tonight and see if she and Brit are free to watch Mak this weekend. We haven't had a date night in a while and I think it's long overdue."

"Oh, I don't think so Sam. Did you forget that my mom is coming over this weekend? You know she's being admitted into the hospital for surgery on Monday."

_'If she was as focused on spending time with her family as she is on beating the aging process there wouldn't be any surgery. The liposuction was bad enough, but a face-lift too? Ridiculous.'_ Sam sighed.

"Come on Sam. You're not mad are you?"

_'Mad? About what? The fact that you manage to shoot down all my attempts at saving our marriage?'_ "Mad? No, no of course not. We'll just have some family time with your mom. I'm sure Mak will be happy to spend some time with her."

"Yeah, my mom can't wait to see her. She's already got a schedule of activities planned out for the two of them while she's here."

"Oh goodie." Sam said with obvious sarcasm.

"Come on, don't do that Sam. I know you and my mom don't exactly get along, but I think it's important for Makyira to spend time with her grandmother."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam immediately snapped.

"Nothing. Just that with your mom being gone, I think it's time that my mom got the same opportunity to spoil her grandkid the way yours did, God rest her soul."

Sam was stunned completely silent. This is exactly why things were so rocky for them as of lately. What the hell would possess her to say something like that?

"I'm sorry Sam. I just meant that before you rush to say no, you should realize how lucky we are that my parents are able to be there as grandparents for Makyira. I didn't have that growing up. Not grandparents and certainly not my own parents, and I know how important it is for a child to get as much love as possible from family. They've learned from their mistakes with my childhood and they want that with her. I don't want to take that away from them or our daughter."

_'You consider sending gifts and visiting for holidays and birthdays 'being grandparents?' _

"Look Sam, I don't want to argue. I love you and I just want us to be happy, okay?"

Sam took a deep breath before speaking. "Yeah, I get it."

"Please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad Quinn." He said before sighing again. "I'm not mad, I'm just busy. I've got another meeting this afternoon before I leave to pick up Mak from school. I should get going. I'll see you later."

Quinn closed her eyes before responding. "Okay."

"Quinn?"

"Yes?"

"...I love you, too." Sam said before hanging up the phone.

Quinn smiled as she lower the phone from her ear. She hung it up and focused her attention back on the TV, all the while convincing herself that their love, the love between she and Sam, the love she and Sam have for Makyira would be enough to get them through anything.

* * *

**A/N**: Coming up next, we hear from Mercedes again and begin meeting the rest of the Glee gang.

I'll post the next chapter by Saturday. But until then, let me know what you think with a review. Thanks! :)


	3. The call

Ridgewood Elementary

11:45 AM...

_'I can't believe I lost it! This was probably my only chance to meet her. And I can't even tell anybody about it because they'll tell mommy and daddy.' _Mak sighed as she continued to cry.

Rosie looked towards her god sister. A few seconds passed and she heard Makyira try to hide a sniffle. "Psssst. Mak? You okay?"

The crying girl said nothing.

Ms. Harris just happened to look up from grading the students' science tests and saw the young ladies conversing. She was ready to tell them to stay on track with their writing, until she saw Makyira's tear-stained face. A frown instantly appeared on the woman's face and she got up from her desk and made her way over to her favorite student.

"Makyira? Oh honey, what's wrong?"

The 7-year old looked up at her teacher and quickly began to wipe the tears from her eyes. She sat up and cast a small smile at the older woman. "Well, um…I mean, it's nothing Ms. Harris. I guess I just wasn't feeling well. But I'm okay now."

"Are you sure? Do you want me to take you to the nurse? Maybe we should call your mom or-"

"No!" Mak yelled. She instantly regretted it when all eyes were on her, her classmates wondering what would cause the usually sweet girl to flip like this. Rosie was especially concerned, having never seen her friend cry in public before.

"I mean, I don't want them to be worried." _'Yeah, that's it.'_ "My daddy's busy and my mom would just probably overreact. I'm okay Ms. Harris. Really."

Before the woman could respond, the bell rang and the other children began to clear their desks and head towards the door to leave for recess. "Hold it class. You know not to leave the room without permission."

The children groaned, but did as they were told and remained standing by the door. Ms. Harris then turned her attention back to Makyira and spoke again. "Are you sure you're okay, sweetheart?" she said quietly.

Mak stood up and quickly wiped her face of any stray tears. "Yes. I'm okay. I mean, I'm feeling better now. Thanks though."

The teacher gave her a small smile. "Okay. But you make sure to tell me if you need anything. Okay?"

Makyira nodded her head.

Ms. Harris turned her attention to the rest of the class. "Alright, single file line outside. Quietly so other classrooms aren't disrupted." The uniformed kids made their way out of the classroom and the building to the playground.

* * *

Sam's office downtown...

Sam sat at his desk still a little on edge about his discussion with Quinn earlier. He couldn't believe that she would say something like that. Bringing up his deceased mom was bad enough. But in such a disrespectful way, as if she was just a roadblock on her parents' path to being the 'better' grandparents. Sam and Quinn's parents never really got along, and most of the time even their children's love wasn't enough to keep the insults at bay. _'If her parents weren't mature enough to look past their problems with my family for Makyira's sake, that's their problem.' _Sam thought as he sighed and tried to prepare for his next meeting. He turned on his desktop computer and smiled as he looked over at one of the many pictures of Makyira that surrounded his desk. It was of one of their many visits to the zoo, Makyira being about 5-years old in the photo. Quinn was sick with the stomach flu, so it turned out to be a 'daddy-daughter day.' She was perched on his shoulders holding a stuffed alligator in one hand and a giant lollipop in the other. Smiling and laughing towards the camera as Sam tickled her feet and laughed as well. During this particular trip, Sam took Makyira to see the reptile exhibit. Initially he'd been worried that she was still too young and scared to see the animals, but was pleasantly surprised at how much fun she was having. When she wasn't hurrying through the crowd to move on to other new animals, she was begging Sam to buy her a lizard of her own. "Maybe one day." Sam laughed.

Just as he was about to begin proofreading his presentation, his office phone rang. He reached over and grabbed it. "Yes Veronica?"

"Mr. Evans, I'm sorry to disrupt you right now, but you have a call on line 1."

_'God, please don't tell me it's Quinn again. Give me a break.' _Sam rolled his eyes and tilted his head back before sighing into the telephone. "Dare I ask who's calling?"

"There's a Ms. Mercedes Jones asking to speak with you."

_'Mercedes Jones?' _Sam immediately began to ponder. _'That name sounds…familiar, almost. But obviously not too familiar because I'm sure I'd remember a girl with a name like that.' _

"I don't think I know a 'Mercedes Jones.' Did she happen to mention why she was calling?"

"She was pretty tight-lipped about the nature of her call. But she did tell me that it was very important. Oh, and that she didn't want to speak to anyone other than you. To be honest, she sounded a little upset. Like she's on the verge of tears or something."

Sam grew concerned. It was one thing to get a call from someone that he didn't recall knowing very well, but now her emotions are out of whack. He couldn't imagine what this woman could want, but he didn't want to deal with anymore drama today. Against his better judgment, he said to his secretary "Go ahead and put her through Veronica. Thanks."

"Okay, you're welcome Mr. Evans. "

"Veronica, please. We've been over this before. You've been my secretary for nearly 2 years now. Please call me Sam."

The young woman blushed. "Okay. Sam."

"Thank you, Ma'am." He said with emphasis on his southern accent.

She giggled. "I'll put Ms. Jones through."

Sam patiently waited for the phone lines to be connected and was soon struck by the sound of a heavenly voice.

"Hello. Um…how do I say this?" the woman whispered. Sam could hear her inhale and exhale deeply before she continued. "I…um…Well…is this Sam Evans?"

Sam had to remind himself that he was in public and quickly pulled himself together. "Y-yes." He cleared his throat. "Excuse me, please. Yes I am Sam Evans. How may I help you?"

Mercedes was silent for a while before answering his question. "Well…" she breathed deeply again before speaking. "Okay, before I say what I need to say, I think I should ask you a few questions."

Sam instantly became intrigued. With him having taking over for his father as the boss of his construction company, it was rare for people to be so forward with him. Her seemingly straight-forward yet nervous tone put him at ease. _'I doubt she's a psycho killer.'_ He thought as he sat up in his chair. "Be my guest."

Mercedes was once again a bit hesitant before she finally spoke up. "Okay. My first question is, Are you alone?"

_'So much for not being a psycho killer.' _"I'm sorry? I don't think I understand-"

"I only ask because I'd prefer to have this conversation in as private a setting as possible. That's why I chose to call you instead of coming to your workplace or house."

_'Okay this is getting weird. She knows where I work AND where I live, yet I still just barely know her name?' _"What do you mean 'instead of coming to my workplace or house?' Do I know you? Wait. How do you know me? Where-how-who gave you this information? What the hell is going-"

"Oh my god, will you just SHUT UP?!" Mercedes stated firmly.

There was dead silence after her outburst as Sam tried to think of who this woman could possibly be, and what she wanted from him. He'd planned on keeping things professional. He wasn't an idiot. In this day and age with Facebook, Twitter, hell even Google, it's as easy as searching a name on just one internet search engine and getting that person's life history. But with him came his child, and the last thing he wanted was for Makyira's safety to be put at risk if this woman did turn out to be dangerous.

Before he could respond Mercedes spoke first. "I'm sorry…Oh my gosh, I'm really sorry. Man, this isn't going how I planned at all."

Sam was quiet as she continued.

"Look I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just….really on edge. Not to alarm you, but it's because of what I have to tell you. It really is very important. So please, can you please just let me ask you one more question before I tell you why I called?"

Sam was nearly speechless. Although she appeared to be a bit of a loose cannon, he didn't hold that against her. Considering he was married to Quinn, Mercedes' little meltdown though a bit shocking wasn't at all the worst he'd ever experienced. And Sam would be lying if he said that he wasn't curious about her reason for calling. "Go ahead."

She smiled a bit at these words. "Thank you. Well, my last question is whether or not you and your wife are the adoptive parents of a young girl. She's around 7 years old. She's biracial with hazel-brown eyes and brown hair. Well, at least it was brown the last time I saw her." Mercedes said sadly.

Sam's concern immediately came back full force. "I really don't feel comfortable answering your very long, not to mention personal question. I don't know what my wife or daughter could possibly have to do with any of this," Sam said. It didn't take him two seconds before he realized his mistake.

"Daughter." Mercedes quietly said. "So I was right. Wasn't I?"

Sam closed his eyes and shook his head for a bit before speaking. "Look, I've said all I'm going to say in regards to that question. If you can't respect that than I'll have to cut this conversation short."

Mercedes sighed. "Okay. Sure I…I understand. I was out of line asking you that. I don't want you to think that I'm trying to act…weird or anything. I'm just nervous, and this whole thing is very, very hard."

Sam opened his eyes. "Why don't you just tell me why you called." he said. Clearly a statement instead of a question. "The way you're acting seems to be scary for you , which is not something that I necessarily like in a woman that I don't know, calling me and saying that she knows where I work, live, and that I have a daughter. I really would like to help you, but I can't unless you tell me want you want."

Mercedes smiled softly as tears began to form in her eyes. It was now or never. "Okay. Well, the truth is…I called to tell you that-" BEEP!

Sam looked down at the base of the phone and saw that his secretary was calling again. He also noticed that it was nearly time for him to head over to the conference room to prepare for his 12:30 meeting. Personally, he preferred to stay in his office and hear what Ms. Jones had to say. She was just about to tell him something and he hated that they had been interrupted.

"Shit." Sam said in a voice low yet full of frustration.

"Hello? Mr. Evans, are you still there?"

"Yes I am Ms. Jones. But-"

"Oh please, after such an intense conversation, I think you've more than earned the right to call me Mercedes."

_'There was that name again. Mercedes. Beautiful. ' _Sam though as a small smile formed on his face.

"Thank you, Ms.- um, I mean Mercedes. And please feel free to call me Sam."

"Okay. Sam."

_'God. That angelic, soft tone of her voice. That voice speaking my name is something I wouldn't mind hearing more of.'_ "Unfortunately, I'm afraid I'm going to have to end our conversation for now. I've got to prepare for a meeting, but I would like to pick up on this at your earliest convenience."

_'WHAT? Are you kidding me? Damn I was about to tell you.' _Mercedes couldn't believe her luck, or lack thereof. She'd finally worked up the courage to contact the people that adopted her daughter. For a while she didn't think seeing Makyira again was even possible, but now that she was so close she couldn't imagine stopping. She fought against her disappointment and replied "Okay. I understand. When would you be available?"

Sam thought for a moment. He was still a bit unsure about this woman, but he wanted to help her. Call it his human nature to help a damsel in distress. "Well, considering how…important this seems to be, maybe it would be best if you gave me your phone number so that I'm able to call you as soon as I get the chance."

"Really? Sure! Yeah, I'm fine with that." Mercedes said cheerfully.

"Okay great. What number would be best to try and reach you?"

"I can give you my cell number. I'm going to be busy for the next week or two, so it'll be easier to reach me on my cell." Mercedes said.

"Really? No work number?" Sam asked curiously.

Mercedes was a bit taken back at this question. "What?"

Sam chuckled. "A work number. You know, so I can return the favor and call you on the job when you least expect it."

Mercedes began to nervously chuckle. "…Oh. Okay that was so wrong. But now we're even." She said as she smiled. "Here's my number. (440) 522-9833. You can call or text me whenever you're available."

Sam programmed the number into his phone. "Okay."

"Great. Well, I'll let you go. Thanks for listening Sam. Please call me when you can. I think it's best for us to speak when you're not so busy, but I'd preferred for it to also be done as soon as possible. "

"Listen Mercedes. If this is as important as it seems, is there any way it can be handled now? I can be late for a meeting if it's a matter of life and death. Or if I can't help you, maybe you should call the police or-"

"No, No. It's not a matter of life and death. Sam, I appreciate your willingness to help me. Things didn't turn out the way I hoped they would, and I already feel badly about it. I certainly don't want to inconvenience you anymore. This is something that involves you. I don't think I should speak to anyone else about it before you."

Sam listened to her. "Okay. If you're sure."

"I am, really. Don't worry."

"Okay. I'll call you. How is 9pm tonight for you?"

"9 tonight is fine. Thank you, Sam."

"It's no problem. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye." Sam moved to hang up the phone but suddenly remembered a question he been meaning to ask Mercedes since he first spoke to her. "Oh wait! I wanted to ask you-"

The phone buzzed as the call had already been disconnected. Sam sighed as he hung up the phone.

_'Don't I know you from somewhere?'_

* * *

After calming down some and watching a little TV, Quinn seemed to be feeling a bit better about the whole 'letter' situation. She got through the laundry and exercised by doing some yoga for half an hour and then fixed herself some lunch. After finishing the meal she walked back into the kitchen. As she prepared to load the dishes into the dishwasher, she heard the phone ring from the living room. She dried her hands with a dishtowel and headed for the living room. She answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Chica, we have got to talk. He is getting on my last nerve. I swear, if it weren't for my kids I would truly curse the day I ever met that fucking asshole!"

Quinn tried her best to absorb all the information her friend was spouting at her, but between her yelling and her rapid fire Spanglish, it was nearly impossible. Santana Lopez was forever a drama queen. "Okay, okay 'Tana. Slow down. First of all, who are you talking about?"

"Q, are you fucking kidding me? Who do you think I'm talking about? My DOUCHEY, ASSHOLE FUCKTARD of an EX-HUSBAND, also known as Noah Puckerman. "

Quinn let out an already annoyed sigh. "And here we go…"

Santana immediately gasped. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Do you know what he did?"

"No, but you're going to tell me regardless."

"Hell yeah! Okay, he calls me at like 9 this morning right? Knowing good and damn well that I was already tired after dealing with Eli's crying ALL last night, because of the pain in his shoulder. I even called off from work and backed down from taking a case this week. He calls to ask me about the plans for Rosie's party: the theme, the venue, the guests, yadda yadda yadda and the second I mention Brittany taking Rosie shopping for party favors, like a true classless IDIOT he has to bring up Eli's injury, totally overlooking the fact that the doctor said it was just bruised and that he'd be fine within the week. Like him getting hurt is a reason to all of a sudden constantly question everything either one of us does. Especially Brit! She's been there for all of both my children's lives, and a big chunk of mine too! She's been my friend longer than my daughter's been alive , but now that she's my girlfriend he chooses to treat her differently. Eli's fall was an ACCIDENT! He knows Brittany and she loves them like they are her own kids!"

"San, come on. I'm sure he didn't mean to upset you. Even though you guys have had your problems lately, Puck still cares about you. And he's always been overprotective of the kids. That's just how he is. Remember he wouldn't even let Rachel meet them until a few months after the divorce, and even still he tells Eli that she's just 'daddy's friend.'…uh oh." Quinn said. Bringing up Rachel was a huge no-no for Santana. It wasn't a matter of jealousy because she'd fallen out of love and lust with Puck long before making things official with Brittany. She just hated Rachel Berry. She has since high school and figured she probably always would.

"Girl, you better make sure to NEVER mention her again, especially not while I'm already MAD AS FUCK! Anyway, I don't care about his reasons. He's acting like an ass and I've had it!"

"I wouldn't consider looking out for his child's well-being to be 'acting like an ass,' Santana."

"….Are you serious right now?! You're taking his side! And what was that you said, 'his child'?" Elijah is OUR son and he's fine. Brittany-"

"I know Santana. We all do. She made a mistake and left him alone on the jungle gym while she took a quick phone call. Accidents happen and no one's blaming her. I know that Eli is your child too. I just mean that as a fellow member of the overprotective parents of America, I'd probably react the same way if something like that happened to Makyira."

Santana took the time to listen and sighed to calm her nerves as Quinn continued.

"And besides, considering the day I've had you should consider yourself lucky that's all you argued about."

"What do you mean? Did you and Sam have a fight?"

Quinn sighed. "No. I just….whatever. I don't want to talk about it."

"Um hello? I just ranted like a Real Housewife, the least you could do is tell me what's up."

"Santana it's just a little personal okay?"

Santana huffed. "Personal? Hon, we've known each other forever. You were playing Spielberg in the delivery room when I had Rosie, saw all my business while I was in stirrups screaming like a raving lunatic and you want to tell me about something being 'too personal.' No me gusta. Speak."

Quinn gathered her thoughts. "Okay, well….." She sighed before finishing her sentence. "Okay, this morning I found a letter addressed to Makyira. It was from a woman who claims to be her biological mother."

Santana's hand shot to cover her mouth in shock. After a couple seconds, she finally spoke. "…..what?"

"Yeah, I know. I didn't know what to do. If I should go get Makyira from school just in case this woman was following her, if I should call the police, or what. After a while though I did call Sam."

"What did he say?"

"..."

"Quinn. You did tell him didn't you?"

"Well, he's been busy with meetings all day and I didn't want this to add to his stress. Trust me though, the second Makyira's put to bed I'm going to tell him everything."

Santana was still in complete and total shock. "Wow. Q, I just…I don't know what to say?"

"I know. I'm sort of just waiting for Sam to get back before I make a move to deal with this any further. Needless to say today's been rough."

"I can imagine. And as if I helped any by dumping all my pointless drama on you. I'm sorry, Lu-Q."

Quinn smiled at the use of her older nickname. Santana used to call her that when they were little because she calmed that the name Lucille was 'too old' for her then 2-year old best friend. She started referring to her as 'Lu-Q' short for Lucille Quinn. "Thanks, Satan."

"Did this woman happen to provide a name or anything?"

"Yeah actually. In the letter she stated that her name is Mercedes Jones. Oh and she left one or two numbers to reach her. I've been too nervous to call though."

"Mercedes Jones…?"

"Yeah. Do you know her?"

"The name sounds familiar for some reason. Maybe you should look her up. I mean she doesn't exactly seem to be hiding her identity from you."

"You mean besides the fact that she sent a letter of this caliber to my 7-YEAR OLD daughter, pretty much telling her that Sam and I aren't her parents? That I'M not her mother?"

"All the more reason to find out more about her, the woman who's been contacting Makyira. If it were me personally I would've called both numbers, blown up those phones until the bitch had no choice but to answer and gotten down to the bottom of this. But I understand how you must be feeling right now, so I digress. I do think you should try to find out as much as you can about her."

Quinn carefully took Santana's advice into consideration. "You know what 'Tana? I think you're right. I'll see what I can come up with."

"You and me both, girl. Mak is like another daughter to me, and I'll be damned if I let any of you guys, Sam included get hurt by this type of crazy shit. Give me the numbers and let me see what we might have it the system about her."

Quinn went upstairs to retrieve the envelope from the diary and read off the numbers for Santana to record. At this point she just wanted something to be done about this. Even if it was handled by the hot-tempered Latina that was her best friend.

* * *

Later that day

Ridgewood Elementary

2:45 pm...

Makyira sat quietly on the steps of the school's back entrance near the parking lot, looking down and playing with the bows of her croqueted ballet-flat dress shoes. School was over for the day and she was waiting for Sam to pick her up. Usually she would use this time to play on the playground some more with her friends. She and Rosie liked racing each other on the monkey bars while Leslie and the other kids would watch or play referee. Today, however was not one of those days.

Makyira wanted nothing more than to go home and wrap her arms around her mom and dad. After lunch she had the chance to look around the classroom just in case she dropped her diary earlier in the day, but after looking all over the place and even clearing out her backpack, desk and cubby, she realized that she hadn't lost her diary in school. She left it at home, which made her feel even worse than the possibility of losing it did. At least if it was lost there was less likely a chance for her parents to find out about the letter. But by leaving it at home out in the open, both of them had the chance to find it.

She sighed and continued waiting as Leslie came over and sat next to her. "Maky, you okay? How come you were so sad before recess today?"

Makyira didn't stop staring down at her shoes as she quietly spoke. "It's nothing."

The usually shy girl smoothed down her pleated khaki skirt and addressed her friend. "Come on. I've known you since forever and you hardly ever cry. Just tell me. You know I'm a great listener."

Mak remained quiet and pretended to ignore Leslie. She however would have none of it and slowly got into full-on diva mode with an impersonation of their outspoken friend. "Okay. Find. You wanna be Burger King? Then have it your way, chica."

That was all it took for Makyira to lose it. She tried to remain composed, but failed miserably. Before she knew it both girls were laughing hysterically.

A minute later and after she was able to catch her breath, Makyira spoke again. "You sounded just like Rosie when you said that."

"Duh. That was the point." Leslie said between giggles. "But seriously Mak. You're my best friend. I'm starting to get worried. Can't you please just tell me what's wrong. Even if you don't wanna talk about it. Maybe you'll feel better if you get it off your stomach."

Makyira rolled eyes. "You mean 'off your chest,' Les."

"Hey that rhymes! Hahahahaha Whatever, you know what I mean. Pleeeaaaasssee tell me?"

Makyira smiled again. She was about to tell her friend about the letter just when Noah Puckerman pulled into the school parking lot beside the two young girls in his two-toned Black/Dark-Green Escalade. As he pulled to a stop, he rolled down the passenger side window and greeted the kids.

"Afternoon, beautiful ladies. Where's the third musketeer?"

The girls smiled and said hello. "She's still inside Uncle Noah. She left her lunchbox in the library and Ms. Harris had to call the janitor to let her back in."

"Again? God, what am I going to do with that girl?" Puck said with a chuckle. "Well, I know you're ready to go, right Leely?"

"Yep." Leslie said as she got up and headed over to Puck's car. She was carpooling with Rosie and Puck while her dad Mike was out of town. She opened the backseat door and slid inside. Puck noticed how gloomy Makyira was. "You okay little mama? Sam's still on his way right?"

She smiled brightly towards him. "Yeah. I'm fine Uncle P. Daddy's gonna be here soon."

Rosie came out of the building and headed straight for her dad's truck. "Daddy, Mr. Headley is an idiot! He told me he would only take five minutes to find the stupid keys, so I went to the bathroom and by the time I got back he still didn't find the right one. Why is he even allowed to work when he's old as dirt?" she ranted.

Puck set down his iPhone and turned to address his daughter's comments. "Hey, what did I tell you about name-calling? And apparently you also tuned out on our little convo about respecting your elders, huh?"

Rosie sucked her teeth. "Okay, okay sorry. I didn't mean to be mean. But it was still Mr. Headley's fault, not mine!" She said as she folded her arms across her chest and slammed her back against the seat of the car.

"Rosalyn." Puck warned the young girl before turning back around. Just as he was about to text Sam to find out how close he was, he saw his Navy Blue Lexus pulled up behind him. Makyira beamed with joy as she grabbed her backpack and rushed to the vehicle hopping into the backseat. She leaned forward to kiss Sam on the cheek and he smiled. "Hi daddy!"

"Hi honey. How was school today?"

She looked down before answering. "…It was okay."

Sam noticed how off the usually bubbly girl was as she spoke and wanted to ask her about it "Just okay?"

"…yeah. I didn't have what I needed for our writing project today."

"Ohh, well I'm sure it'll be even better when you work on it later. We're going to have fun shopping for your party outfit right?"

Makyira slowly began to speak. "Actually daddy, can we skip the mall for today. I just wanna go straight home…so I can work on the project some more."

Sam turned to see Makyira's face. "You sure? I mean we can go tomorrow, but I thought you were too excited to wait."

"Ummm…yeah. I was really excited, but I think our project is due on Monday, so I should probably work on it as much as possible."

Sam raised his eyebrows in confusion and turned back around in his seat. He looked into the rearview mirror and spoke to his daughter again. "Mak, are you okay?"

"Yeah daddy I'm fine." She smiled.

He returned the gesture and started up the engine. After buckling his seatbelt he honked his horn to get Puck's attention and started texting him.

SAM: - U busy tomorrow?

PUCK: - Nah. San's bringing Eli over, so just spending time with the kids. Why?

SAM: - I was gonna take Mak shopping today, but she opted for tomorrow instead. Wanna come?

PUCK: - Sure. It'll keep them busy and give me some time out of the house.

SAM: - Yeah right. And away from Rachel. Lol

PUCK: - Haha whatever. She's not that bad man. It least not the way I see it. ;)

SAM: - …Ugh smh Okay that's just TMI. And GROSS.

PUCK: - lol Oh come on. I'm just testing the waters since I haven't dated in a while. Don't hate me because I got back my player card :P

SAM: - Okay, sure. Lol I've got to get going. I'll text you tomorrow around noon.

PUCK: - Alright Blondie. Later

Sam put down his phone and soon after both vehicles headed out of the parking lot.

* * *

The ride home for Sam and Makyira was an abnormally quiet one, with both of them focused solely on their own thoughts. Usually knowing his baby girl was even remotely on edge would be enough to send him through the roof with constant questions and reassurances that everything would work itself out. But she said she was fine, and he began thinking about Mercedes and what she could have possibly wanted. He pushed the thought to the back of his head as he pulled into the two-car garage. Both he and Makyira exited the car and entered the home only to be greeted by a stone-faced, rather peculiar looking Quinn. Her tired face held absolutely no emotion and appeared almost robotic.

Makyira hadn't noticed, her only goal being to run into her mother's arms as they came inside. Not caring about what Quinn would say, she dropped her backpack on the floor near the door and ran towards Quinn, arms wide open. "Mommy, mommy! I missed you today!" She yelled as she reached Quinn and tightly wrapped her arms around the blonde woman's midsection. "Mommy, before dinner let's watch a movie. I don't care which one, even if it's one of your favorite ones that turn you into a cry baby, I don't care! Me and daddy won't laugh at you this time or fall asleep! We'll watch the whole thing! Please mommy? Please, can we? Please?"

Quinn quickly snapped out of her distracting thought and lifted her daughter up to hug her properly. She clung to Makyira like a life preserver and she in turn held Quinn close as well.

Sam finished locking up, hung up his coat and Mak's backpack, and finally turned to face the affectionate pair. "Hey, babe." He took in their current position. "Guess you weren't expecting us back so soon, huh?" He laughed. That laughter soon vanished as he saw that tears were beginning to seep through Quinn's currently closed eyes. "Quinn, what's wrong? You okay?"

Quinn finally opened her eyes as she knelt down to place a now quiet Makyira back on the floor. She framed the young girl's adorable face with both her hands before kissing her long and hard on the forehead whispering proclamations of endearment like "I love you so much" and "you're my world." She stood back up all the while still staring at Makyira's equally soft expression.

"Quinn? Why are you looking at her like that? What's wrong with you?"

Quinn slowly brought her eyes up from Makyira to look at Sam.

"Makyira honey…can you…go upstairs and play in your room while daddy and I talk?"

Makyira looked over at Sam and then back at Quinn. "But mommy…"

"Sweetie, please? We'll try not to take too long okay?"

Makyira nodded her head and slowly made her way up the stairs. When Makyira's bedroom door was closed, Sam spoke up, "Quinn what the hell was that about?"

Quinn wiped her eyes and replied. "Sam…We've got a serious problem."

* * *

**A/N**: Weekend updates for the next few weeks since I'm going to be really busy.

Thanks for reading!


	4. Who is she?

**A/N:** Hey awesome readers! I'm back. This chapter is shorter, but I didn't want to leave you guys in suspense any longer. I'll update again next weekend if not sooner. Enjoy!

* * *

Sam became worried. "What are you talking about? What problem? And what the hell was that?"

"Sam…"

He waited for her to continue speaking "…Quinn?"

"..."

"Dammit Quinn, just tell me!" He shouted, now clearly frustrated.

He instantly regretted doing so as Quinn flinched at his aggressive tone and closed her eyes once more. She inhaled deeply and choked out a sob, her head gently lowering. She brought up both hands to cover her face as her tears began spilling heavily. Sam stared at her intensely and sighed before steadily raising his own hands to grasp her shoulders and bring her body flush against him in a hug. "Quinn? Whatever it is, we'll deal with it together. We've never kept anything from each other in the past. Come on. Tell me what's wrong. What happened?"

Quinn opened her eyes and lowered her hands, wrapping them around Sam and gripping the back of his blazer. "Sam…I just…I…" she took another deep breath. "It's about Makyira."

Sam tensed at the mention of his daughter. He pulled away from Quinn so he could see her face as he spoke. "What? What is it?"

Quinn began walking towards the coffee table in the living room. Once she was standing directly in front of the table she bent down to pick up Makyira's diary, which still contained the envelope and letter. After picking it up, she slowly walked back over to Sam and handed it to him.

* * *

Mak sat quietly on her bed, attempting to listen to the current conversation between her parents downstairs. Upon entering her bedroom she noticed that her diary wasn't on the floor, her bed or on her desk, which meant that Quinn had found it. She was overcome with worry and tears formed in her eyes. She laid her head on one of her pillows as she started to cry. _'What did I do?'_

* * *

Sam stood in place while he read Makyira's diary entry. He tried to keep his cool and remain strong, if not for himself then for Quinn. Her tears aside, he knew that this must be killing her. He moved on to the letter and began reading, starting with the return address. He noticed the sender's name.

Mercedes Jones

Sam's face went pale. _'Is this why she called?' _He couldn't believe it. He'd actually spoken to the woman who could very well be Makyira's biological mother. He continued reading, his heart sank when he got to her confession.

He now understood the strange events that occurred today. Her seeming so anxious and constantly mentioning how 'important' her reason for calling was. It would also explain her apprehension to get into the discussion with only a few minutes to spare. This was just so unbelievable. He was a bit astounded, but at the same time overwhelmed by all the questions he wanted answered. They've been raising Makyira for 6 years and hadn't once heard from anyone that might be her biological relative, maternal or paternal. Hell they didn't even know the identity of her birthparents. And then there was the fact that Makyira's known about this. Sam shuttered at the thought of speaking to her about it. _'She's just a little girl. How can she possibly understand all that's happening?_'

After he finished reading the letter he slowly walked into the living room, placed the items down back onto the coffee table and sat down on the couch. Quinn simply watched him before following, and sitting down next to him. She waited for him to speak first.

"…You okay?"

Quinn looked at him with total disbelief. "What?"

Sam rubbed his forehead and sighed before repeating himself. "Are you okay? I mean…..This couldn't have been easy for you to handle." He leaned forward and picked up the letter and started reading it again. "When did you find this?"

"This morning. I was cleaning in Makyira's room and stumbled over the diary on the floor. I wouldn't have found it otherwise." Quinn sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. "That's why I called you earlier today."

He was still caught up in the letter as she spoke. Sam decided against telling Quinn about Mercedes contacting him. He didn't want her upset or to bombard him with questions that he didn't know how to nor did he feel like answering. He'd tell her when the time was right.

"Sam?"

He looked up as he heard her speak his name.

"There's more."

His heart began to race. "More?" His grip on the letter tightened. "More like what?"

Quinn held up her cell phone so Sam could read the text message she currently had displayed across the screen. It was sent from Santana about half an hour ago. Sam hesitantly grabbed the phone and began reading:

SANTANA: – Hey Q. I'm on my way home, but I wanted to contact you ASAP. I checked our records at the station. Unfortunately, I was able to find a file on a 'Mercedes Jones.'

Sam's mouth hung open and his eyes bulged. He instantly thought the worst. "WHAT? A police record? What the fuck does that mean? Is she a felon? WHO IS SHE?" he screamed and flew off the couch, beginning to pace back and forth in front of Quinn.

She got up and rushed to his side. "Sam, please? Makyira is upstairs. We don't want to upset her." She said calmly, cupping his cheek.

Sam stopped in his tracks and looked towards the stairs. She was right. He didn't want to risk Makyira hearing them and coming down from her room before they were done talking. "Okay, I'm sorry. You're right." He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. "Come on let's sit back down." He led her back to the couch and spoke again. "So, did Santana ever explain what she meant about this?"

"Keep reading. There are two other texts from her."

Sam looked back at the phone and scrolled down to select the next message. He clicked on it and began reading:

SANTANA: – She had a court case in February of 2014. The state filed charges against her for 'reckless endangerment of a minor.' The charges were dropped, but with no steady income at the time, the courts deemed her as an unfit parent and Makyira became a ward of the state.

Sam moved on to the next text:

SANTANA: – Her mug shot was in here too. I recognize her from somewhere. She's 25, and she went to McKinley which would've made her a freshman after we graduated. I'm sorry Quinn. Call me if you have any more questions or just want to talk. Be strong, sis. Love ya

Sam closed his eyes and placed the phone onto his lap. He lowered his head and sighed. "I can't believe this."

Quinn scooted across the couch closer to Sam and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She kissed his right shoulder and placed her head on it. "I know."

Sam rested his head on top of hers. Suddenly he opened his eyes and remembered that he had Mercedes' number. As hard as all this was to take in, he needed to get to the bottom of it. He was determined, but in order to do so, he needed to talk to her. He had to call Mercedes.


	5. How do we handle this?

"So…what do we do now?"

Sam looked down at Quinn as she steadied her breath. He could tell that she was more worried about his answer than she was trying to let on, and he didn't want to say the wrong thing. The truth is he was worried too. Scared even. Although they needed answers, there was a large part of him that didn't see how it couldn't be true. Mercedes seemed sure, Makyira was convinced, Quinn was so far gone that she even sought help from Santana. It was clear.

"Well, to be honest I'm not sure. I think we should…maybe give ourselves some time to let this all sink in, at least for the night." Sam said as he began rising from the couch.

Quinn quickly sat up. "What? 'Let it all sink in?' Sam something has to be done about this. At the very least we should find out if…"Sam looked at her. "…If it's true or not."

"Quinn I know you want the truth. So do I, believe me. But acting so quickly before we even have a chance to think things through? It could be a big mistake."

"Sam I-"

"Are you sure you'll even be able to handle this? What if she is Mak's mom? Have you truly thought about how that could affect you?"

Quinn looked at Sam. She knew he was right. Here she was already a nervous wreck and they didn't even know for sure what they were dealing with. She knew that she was scared that this woman would try to take Makyira away. Although the adoption has long been finalized, they've heard plenty of stories about birth parents deciding to re-enter their children's lives and the courts granting them the rights to do so. She took a deep breath. "No…I haven't thought about that. And I really don't care right now. I just want to do what's best for Makyira. She deserves to know the truth about her…her birth mother. She's obviously curious and there's nothing wrong with that."

Sam gave her a small smile and kissed her on the forehead. "I was hoping you'd say that. I'd still prefer us waiting at least until tomorrow before we decide what to do. And get the hard part over with while we're at it."

Quinn looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"We have to talk about this with Makyira first." Sam gently rubbed her arms up and down.

Quinn closed her eyes and sighed. "Sam…I don't think I can do that right now."

"We have to. We can't hide this from her. It's too important."

Quinn opened her eyes and nodded her head. "…Alright."

"Good." Sam headed for the stairs.

"Wait Sam. Not right now." Quinn said as she sped over to him. "I…ugh." She sighed again. "I don't know what to say."

Sam didn't want to go against his own advice and act too quickly. He nodded his head. "Okay. Alright, here's what we'll do. Let's just have some family time tonight as planned. Eat dinner, watch a few movies and before it's her bedtime we'll both speak with her about this."

Quinn nodded her head. "Okay, that sounds good." Quinn smiled.

Sam smiled too and grabbed her hand leading them both up the stairs. They made their way to the second floor and were soon standing in front of Makyira's bedroom door. Sam was a bit alarmed when he didn't hear anything on the other side of the door. He gently knocked. "Mak, you ready for dinner sweetie?"

There was no answer. Quinn cast Sam a worried look and called out as he reached to turn the doorknob. "Honey, are you feeling okay?" When they still received no answer, Sam opened the door.

They entered the room and Makyira was nowhere to be found. Sam and Quinn quickly scanned the room before he headed over to her bed. "Mak, you in here baby?" He knelt down to look underneath and saw nothing. He turned his attention back to Quinn. "Did you see her come downstairs?"

Quinn shook her head. "No. I didn't hear anything up here either." She exited the room and headed for their bedroom across the hall. She opened the door and looked around before exiting. She checked their bathrooms, the office, the sunroom patio and the attic all the while calling for Makyira. "Sweetie? Are you here? Come on, honey we're starting to get worried." She said as she hurried down the attic stairs.

Sam had gone back downstairs to check the living room, dining room and family room. He skipped the kitchen and basement washroom because Mak wasn't permitted to go in the kitchen without adult supervision, and she was afraid of the basement. He was headed outside when he heard Quinn coming down the stairs. He turned back to her. "Did you find her?"

Quinn was slightly out of breath and a bit teary-eyed. "No. Were you going to look outside? I don't think she'd leave the house after we told her not to, especially not with the doors locked."

"Well she would've had to Quinn. She's clearly not here so maybe she's out back in her playhouse or in the garage."

"But the key rings are still on the hook." She said as she pointed to the wall in the foyer.

"Then where is she?" He asked angrily as he headed back up the stairs with Quinn right behind him. As Sam entered Makyira's bedroom and looked around intensely.

"What are you doing?" Quinn asked from the doorway.

"I don't think she's outside. Her shoes are still here, so maybe she-" he stopped himself when he heard sniffling.

"What is-"

"Shhh." Sam brought his finger to his lips. He heard the sound again and pointed the closet before heading over there. He slowly opened the door and saw the previously missing 7-year old crumbled up into a ball on the floor. She had her head against her knees, but that wasn't able to hide the tears that stained her hands and khakis.

"Mak? What's wrong?" Sam asked as he knelt down to see her better. She was a bit stubborn and tried to turn on her other side facing away from him. "Hey, don't do that. Sweetie look at me." Sam lifted her into his arms. Quinn came over and knelt down as well. She began rubbing the small girl's back. Makyira continued sobbing. She wrapped her arms around Sam's shoulders and buried her head in the crook of his neck as he stood up and walked them over to her bed to have a seat.

Quinn exited the room and headed downstairs. She came back up holding a box of Kleenex and a glass of water and walked over to the pair. She entered the room and heard Sam speaking to Makyira. "Honey, can you please tell daddy what's wrong?" Makyira shook her head.

Quinn walked over and sat down next to them. Makyira saw her out of the corner of her eye and turned her head to face Quinn. She sniffled as Quinn wiped her tears with the tissue. "Baby, please talk us. Come on, what's wrong?"

Makyira looked at Quinn for a while, then up at Sam who kissed her on the forehead. She brushed away her tears with the back of her hand and turned around sitting upright in Sam's lap. "Are you mad at me?" She asked looking between both Sam and Quinn.

The young parents looked at each other. Sam spoke first. "Mak, why would you think we're mad at you?"

"Because you found the letter Miss Mercedes sent me. The one where she tells me she's my mommy."

Quinn gasped lightly and brought her hand up to her mouth. She hadn't realized at the time why Makyira was so anxious when she and Sam first arrived home earlier.

Mak continued. "I'm sorry for what I did. I should've told you about it, but I didn't want to make you guys mad. It's just that…when I got the letter…" She sniffled. "I don't know…I just wanted to know about her. I wanted to see her and talk to her. But if you don't want me to I won't! I promise daddy, I don't want you or mommy to be sad anymore." She clung to Sam in a tight hug.

Sam was speechless. This is exactly why they planned on talking about this later. He wasn't expecting any of this, at least not this soon. He didn't know how serious all this was, and how thoughtful Makyira's been about their feelings. He wrapped his arms around the small girl and rocked her back and forth as he fought back the tears. Quinn on the other hand made no effort to hide back her tears and leaned forward to grab Makyira. She placed the girl on her lap and hugged her tight. "We could never be mad at you. We love you so much sweetie. No matter what okay?" Makyira clung to Quinn and nodded her head. "I'm sorry mommy." She cried.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about okay?" Quinn kissed the top of her head. "We're going to figure this all out."

Sam however wasn't so sure. He slowly stood up and leaned forward to kiss Mak's wet cheek before making his way toward the door. Once he was outside of the room he pulled the door closed and leaned back against it. He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and wiped the escaped tears from underneath his eyes. _'Why was I stupid enough to think this would be easy to deal with? I have to do something now! Where the hell is that number?' _Sam headed down the stairs and over to the foyer to retrieve his briefcase and grabbed the phone. This could no longer wait. He wasn't going to allow his daughter, wife or himself to be upset or stressed by this for a moment longer. He headed to the couch to sit down, and dialed Mercedes' cell phone number.

* * *

"Come on, Merce. There's going to be tons of hot guys. Pleeeaassse?" Tina asked.

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "No."

Tina was a bit shocked to hear her answer so quickly. She put down her apple martini and prepared the guilt trip. "Not even to celebrate my new job? Would you really force me to go out by myself?" She pouted.

"Girl please. What part of NO aren't you getting tonight?" She laughed before finishing her bowl of Pesto Bean Soup. "Anyway, tell me more about the job."

Tina decided to humor her and change the subject for now. "Alright, well my employer's name is Brittany S. Pierce. She owns the dance studio on Huffington Rd. I'm still just so excited because I didn't even expect to get the job much less get it the same day as my interview. But I think what won her over was my mention of theater experience. She's looking to expand her business and offer acting classes too."

"Wow that's great T. I told you you'd get it. When do you start?"

"Next week, actually. She even said she'd talk to the principal at the School of the Performing Arts to see if they were looking to hire anyone. She's so nice Mercedes. I can't wait for you to meet her! She's a little…different to say the least, but still such a sweetheart."

Mercedes raised an eyebrow. "Different? What do you mean?"

Tina thought for a bit. "Well…she's…interesting…when it comes to her personality that is. From what I've gathered so far, I think of her as a cross between Karen from 'Mean Girls' and a human Care-bear, totally loaded on skittles. Oh! And she sort of looks like a blonde Juliette Lewis."

Mercedes' eyes widened as she took in the information. She chuckled. "Wow."

"Yeah, I told you. 'Different.'"

They both began laughing as Mercedes called over the waiter to bring them the check. The two ladies were out at one of their favorite downtown restaurants, 'The Spot.' After her talk with Sam, Mercedes received a call from Tina asking if she was free later on so she could share some great news over drinks and dinner. Mercedes agreed, wanting nothing more than to unwind and relax after the overwhelming day she had.

She saw Tina reaching for her wallet. "Hey Tin, don't worry about splitting the bill tonight. Dinner's on me as a little congrats present."

"Aw, thanks Merce. But you're still coming out with me."

Now it was Mercedes' turn to pout. "Ugh, I'm serious Tina. I just don't feel like it tonight. I had a…..long day. I'm going home and going straight to sleep."

"What do you mean 'Tonight'? You never feel doing anything anymore but working. We're too young for that life, lady. Not to mention hot!" Tina said while playfully twirling her hair with her index finger.

"You're telling me. I've been thinking the same thing for as long as I've known you two. Speaking of which, you're looking hotter than ever tonight." Artie Abrams said as he approached the table. He smiled. "My lovely Mercy." He bent down to kiss Mercedes' cheek before addressing Tina. "Congrats on the job, T-bird." He reached for her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Thanks Ar-man. I'm pretty excited. However, Mercedes here isn't as happy for me. She wants to bail tonight."

"Should I feel offended that I wasn't even included in said plans for the evening? What, I'm not hot enough for ya'll? What you can't HAAANNDDLLE all THIS!?" Artie snapped after giving his best 'Sheneneh' impression.

"You sir are a fool." Mercedes laughed. "And anyway ARTHUR, you're the one that's always too busy with this restaurant to hang with your peeps."

"Well maybe if you guys were still here to help me out instead of leaving me with this bunch of amateurs, we'd all have more time to get our party on, hmmmm?" He put his index finger to his chin and widened his eyes.

Tina laughed. "See Mercy, there are people that would love to be in your position. Some people don't even have the time to spend clubbing yet here you are denying it. Shame." Tina wagged her finger.

"Ah, get over it. Besides if I'm always 'denying it' why do you keep asking me?" Mercedes stuck out her tongue.

"Yeeeaaahhhh?" Artie playfully asked.

"Shut up Arthur!" Tina smirked.

Artie gasped and brought a hand to his chest. "Well…there's goes YOUR discount." He said as he began heading over to the hostess stand where a young girl in her late teens was calling for his assistance. He turned back to the ladies. 'See what I mean?' he mouthed.

"So, are you heading out with me willingly or am I going to have to kidnap you?"

"Tina…"

She reached across the table to grab Mercedes' hands in both of hers and put her face flat against the table. "Please, please, pleeeaaasssse?"

Mercedes looked at her. "Can't you call Kurt and Blaine and see if they're free?"

Tina raised her head in excitement. "So…if I call them and they're available, you'll agree to go with us?"

"If you call and they say they can't make it, then yeah sure. I won't let you celebrate alone."

Tina hopped out of her seat on the other side of the table and tackled Mercedes with a hug. "Yay! I'm going to call them right now. Get yourself in party mode girl because I know for a fact that they're packing for NYC tonight. Don't ask how I know." Tina headed for the back door near Artie's office.

"Damn." _'Totally forgot they were leaving tonight.' _Mercedes chuckled and shook her head. As she reached for her wallet to retrieve her credit card, she felt her cell phone vibrate. She pulled it out and saw that she was receiving a call from an unknown number. "Who could this be?" She answered on the fifth ring. "Hello?"

"Mercedes? Um, hi it's Sam. Sam Evans."

Her heart began to race. For a while she'd actually expected him not to return her call. She was a little more than shocked to say the least. "Oh hi! Wow! I wasn't expecting you to call so soon."

"Yeah me neither…Well…I um…" he struggled to find the right words. "Geez, now I know how you felt." He mumbled.

"I'm sorry I didn't hear you."

He ignored the thought. "Nothing. I was just thinking that we should finish the chat we were beginning earlier."

"Oh, okay. I-" Mercedes was interrupted by the sound of glass breaking. One of Artie's clumsy young help dropped an entire round on cocktails. "Can you give me a minute? It's a little noisy here."

Sam sighed. "Yeah sure."

Mercedes grabbed her purse and headed for the front door. She stood outside in front of the building. "Okay, sorry about that."

"Are you sure you don't want me to call you back later?"

"No Sam. Honestly, I am a little tied up right now. And I certainly never planned on having this discussion on 32th St. downtown. But I don't want to continue putting this off any longer."

"Good. Neither do I." He was blunt. "Mercedes, I know what this is all about."

She was a bit surprised to hear him say this. She didn't want to make assumptions so she asked him. "You know what what's all about?"

"Your calls, your anxiety, you asking about my daughter. I only wonder how I could've been stupid enough not to know the second you first brought up the subject."

"What do you mean, Sam?"

He could tell she was still nervous about the whole thing, so he decided he just come right out with it. "You're Makyira's mother. Aren't you?"

Mercedes instantly felt her eyes well up with tears. She didn't expect any of this. A few weeks back she didn't even think she'd be able to contact Makyira much less for her adopted father to be the one to reveal the situation for her. "Sam I…I…I..."

"It's true isn't it? You sent her a letter."

"Well….yes." She took a deep breath and tried her best to continue. "Yes…about everything.…" She took another few calmly breaths. "And I hope you or your wife weren't bothered by it. I just…I guess I acted before really thinking things out."

"No, we understand. I just wanted to call you because…well things haven't been going too great around here today."

"What? What's wrong? Is Makyira okay?" Mercedes asked in a worried tone.

"No-I mean Yes! She's fine. She uh…she actually tried to hide all this from my wife and I. I think she planned on contacting you on her own so not to upset us. But anyway, my wife did find your letter in her room. And uh…well they're currently having some much needed bonding. Mak didn't think we'd handle the news too well and assumed the worse."

"Oh my Goodness, Sam." Mercedes brought a hand to her forehead. "God! I…I don't know what I was thinking. Poor baby…Why was I so stupid?" Mercedes said.

"It's nothing to blame yourself about. She's fine, I promise. She just needed to hear that we're fine about this." Sam said as he heard movement from upstairs. "Speaking of which, I think they're on their way down right now."

"Okay…..Well…..for now, I think it'd be best if I let you go. I'm sure you and your wife have a lot of thinking and talking to do. And you're sure she's okay? I don't want her upset over this."

"I know you don't. She's fine honestly." Sam said as Quinn and Makyira walked down the stairs hand-in-hand.

Quinn smiled at the small girl. "Mommy was going to make some roasted chicken and pasta salad tonight, but I think I'm more in the mood for…"

"Pizza?!" asked an excited Makyira.

"Yes! Pizza it is. Wanna help me place the order?"

"Yeah! Can I do it myself?"

"Sure." Quinn smiled. "Come on, we can go in the kitchen while daddy's making a call." Quinn said as she cast a questioningly look towards Sam before Makyira pulled her into the kitchen.

A watery-eyed, bright smile began to spread upon Mercedes' face as she heard her daughter's voice. For the first time in 6 years, she heard her baby-now young girl's voice. She let out a soft chuckle. _'She sounds like her grandmother.' _She closed her eyes as the tears escaped. "Okay…I guess I'll let you go then." She was quiet for a while trying to compose herself.

Sam was quiet as well. "Okay. I planned on calling you tomorrow. Would that be okay for you?"

She sniffled. "Okay, yeah that sounds fine." She cleared her throat. "So I'll talk to you later."

He heard her struggling and felt compelled to comfort the woman. "Everything's going to work out Mercedes. I promise you don't have anything to worry about." Sam smiled.

She smiled as well. "Thank you, Sam. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"No problem. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

**A/N: **Hi readers! Sorry for the long wait. Since I'm on the East coast, Hurricane Sandy caused some serious damage for some areas around my city, especially for a few of my profs. I expected to be done with my midterms two weeks ago, but 3 of my profs lost power and weren't able to finish making our tests. Then they decided to postpone the exams to allow us time to study even MORE material. So I spent all last week/weekend studying. But I do plan on making up for the long break by writing over thanksgiving break. My next update will be for my other story "Thanks for all the joy and pain" first though. I'm also starting my third Glee fic soon! Busy, busy, busy. Lol Let me know what you think by leaving a review or PM. Thanks for all the support: reviews, follows, and favorites!


	6. Today's the day

**A/N: **Hi everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday. This chapter serves as a bit of a filler for the chapter to follow, which is going to be an essential turning point for the story.

One of the reasons the next chapter is important is because it'll be the start of some serious Sam/Mercedes interactions, something I'm sure you guys have been patiently anticipating. A few awesome readers asked or have mentioned to me that you (initially) thought this was a Quam/Fabrevans story. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that the only thing this story has in common with the show is that things can change drastically before you know it...Foreshadowing?...Mmaaayyyybbbee. :)

Enjoy!

* * *

7:45 pm...

Mercedes slowly took the phone away from her ear and hung up before she placed it into her purse. She leaned against the wall next to the restaurant's front entrance as she stared off into space. She was so overcome with different emotions she didn't even know which she felt the most. She was shocked yet excited, nervous yet hopeful, and thanking God that she was not only given this second chance with her little girl, but that Makyira was being raised by such understanding people. People that seemed to care about her enough that they'd be willing to put their personal feelings aside and let their guards down for her sake.

She heard the sound of laughter and looked across the street where she saw a little girl around 5 running down the sidewalk and away from a tall man playfully chasing her. A woman, she assumed was the girl's mother laughed as she watched on from behind the two. The man was clearly getting tired and called out for the girl to wait for him. She smiled and ran back over to him where he proceeded to pick her up and place her on his shoulders, afterwards handing her a pink teddy bear. The woman caught up and was now next to the happy duo. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head as they continued their walk to the parking lot. Mercedes smiled at the scene and began thinking about Makyira, how she hoped such a scene was common for her as well. That she's grown up knowing how loved she is. That Sam and Quinn Evans have given her the life she wasn't able to at the time. As much as it's always troubled Mercedes, she hoped that Makyira wouldn't feel any bitterness or anger towards her. She was over the moon that didn't seem to be the case.

_'Now I've got to tell mom and dad the good news.' _ She smiled to herself as she closed her purse as she headed back inside the restaurant and over her table. She paid for their meals and took her keys out of her coat pocket. Tina saw her and rushed back over. "Well, well, well. Someone owes me a night out. Guess who can't make it?! So, you ready to go?" She asked enthusiastically as she gathered her belongings as well.

Mercedes looked at her and slowly lowered her head, suddenly guilt-stricken over forgetting the promise she made to her friend. "Oh my gosh. Tina, I'm so sorry. I've actually got to head home. Something's happened. Something important."

Tina looked up at her. "Wait what? What do you mean? Is everything okay?" She noticed Mercedes tear-stained cheeks.

"Yeah, everything's going to be great actually. I'll tell you about it a little later once I've figured every out, okay? Have fun tonight." She said as she moved through the crowd and over to the door to leave.

Tina looked on confused and a little upset. She sighed sadly and sat back down to check the time on her phone. She wanted to have fun tonight, but not by herself. With none of her friends available, she considered heading home for the night. Artie came back over and saw the cash on the table. He shook his head. "Ugh, why does she insist on paying when she knows I've got it covered? My ladies don't pay for anything. I swear Cedes has got to be the most stubborn woman I've ever known."

"Tell me about it." Tina said. She looked up at Artie and smiled. "When do you close up again?"

Artie looked a little confused about her sudden flirting. "Uh, around 10 I guess. But I might have to stick around to go over tomorrow's menus. Why?"

* * *

Sam, Quinn and Mak were currently spread out on the couch in front of the TV watching 'Avatar.' They were waiting for the pizza to get here, and munching on popcorn. Makyira was comfortable in her green Princess Tiana PJs, and looked intently at the television screen, as always totally engulfed with the film. Something that she obviously got from Sam. He too rarely took his attention away from the movie, though his mind hadn't been on it from the moment it began. Quinn wasn't any better. She quietly looked down at Makyira, sprawled across the couch with her head in her lap. She smiled and continued braiding the young girl's hair while glancing towards Sam at the other end of the couch as he removed her frog footie slippers and tickled Mak's feet, earning a loud laugh from her.

"Daddy stop I'm ticklish!" she said between laughs.

They were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Makyira eagerly hopped up and jogged over to the door. "I'll get it."

Quinn followed her over. "Wait a second sweetie I have to get my purse." Quinn took it off the hook near the door.

Sam paused the movie and headed to the kitchen to get them some plates and napkins. He heard squeals of excitement and a timid yet sweet "thank you" from Makyira, then the front door closed. He headed back into the living room and saw Quinn trying her best to contain her laughter as the 7-year old began devouring the pizza, slice by slice.

Sam couldn't believe his eyes. She had just sat down and already finished 2 whole slices of the meat-lovers, Chicago style-pizza. He laughed and headed over to her. "Um Mak? Don't you think you might be overdoing it?"

She abruptly stopped chewing to look up at Sam. "Mmmph-mmm" She shook her head. "I LLOOVVEE pizza!" She started on her third slice as Quinn made her way back over to the couch and had a seat. She got her cell phone out of her purse and brought up her camera. She smiled as she called out to Makyira. "Sweetie smile for the camera."

Makyira giggled and looked towards Quinn. With her mouth still full, she smiled wide and yelled. "Chhheeeessseee!" They all laughed. Quinn set the plates while Sam got some Pepsis from the fridge and started the movie again.

About an hour later, Makyira and Quinn were asleep in Sam's arms. He slowly readjusted his position so not to wake either of them, and arose from the couch still holding Mak, and carried her over with him as he went to the entertainment center to turn off the TV and Blu-Ray player. He slowly walked back to the couch a gently kissed a sleeping Quinn's forehead. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled at her husband. "Babe come on, it's late. Let's go to bed." Sam said. Quinn stretched her arms and nodded. "Okay." She got up from the couch and started for the stairs, Sam right behind her.

They stopped at Mak's room to put her in bed. She stirred a bit, but remained asleep as they kissed her goodnight. They headed out the door and towards their room. Once inside, they both began changing into their sleepwear. Quinn finished first, now wearing a soft-pink, spaghetti-strapped tank top and matching pink and white striped shorts. She headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Sam took his cell phone out of his pants pocket and placed it on the bedside table before changing out of his clothes. He put on a pair on dark blue pajama pants and by the time he put on a t-shirt, Quinn was out of the bathroom and getting in bed. He headed out for a moment too, and returned minutes later. He turned off the light and got in bed beside her, lying on his side with his head resting in his hand.

She leaned over to kiss him softly on the lips. Sam was a bit surprised. "What was that for?"

Quinn smiled. "What? I can't kiss my husband now? Let me guess, Makyira's got you thinking it's gross for us to kiss too, huh?" She pouted.

He laughed. "Aw, I'm sorry." He kissed her this time. "Do you forgive me?"

Quinn looked at him for a while, as if seriously pondering the question. After a few seconds she managed to answer him. "Yeah, I forgive you." She smiled.

Sam raised his eyebrow in confusion. "You sure about that?" He asked playfully.

Quinn slowly turned on her back. "Sam?"

"Yeah?"

She hesitated asking him the question but eventually continued. "….Is everything okay?"

He began searching her eyes with his own wondering why she asked him that. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when I saw you on the phone earlier, you looked a little….preoccupied. I hate doing this but you know me, with everything that's happened lately. I assumed it was bad news about this whole thing with-"

"-Makyira?" "-Makyira." They said in unison.

"Yeah." Quinn said.

Sam sat up but didn't take his eyes off of her. "Baby, no. It….I mean….I was just talking….." He stuttered not at all sure of a proper way to tell her about his talk with Mercedes. He didn't want her to worry anymore about this, especially not before going to sleep. "It was nothing. I had to speak with Puck about something going on with the company. A project downtown almost fell through." He lied. "But I think things will go smoothly from now on."

"Really? Oh, okay." She smiled. "I'm sorry for being such a drama-queen."

He smiled back. "It's okay. I know you've been under a lot of stress. But you've got to stop upsetting yourself Q. Not just for your own sake, but Mak's too. And mine." He tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Okay?"

She kissed his hand. "Okay."

* * *

7 AM...

Mercedes walked into her apartment after a morning jog. She was in a great mood, between the good news she received last night and more to come later today. She hummed as she headed to her bedroom to gather her shower items. As she entered the room, she heard her cell phone ring just as she set it atop her dresser. She checked the caller ID and saw that it was Kurt. She smiled and answered the call. "Hey Kurt! Did you guys land yet?"

"Mercy! Yeah, we got here about half an hour ago. We got our bags and are headed for the hotel right now." Kurt said as he entered the taxi.

Blaine finished putting their bags in the trunk and got in back with Kurt. He smiled when he saw him on the phone, knowing right away who it was. "Let me say hi to Merce!"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Blaine says hi!" He chuckled as Blaine stuck out his tongue and scowled as he crossed his arms.

"You better not be messing with him. You know Blaine's my favorite!"

"What the hell? Okay, that must be the bitterness talking since you couldn't make this trip with us."

"Ha ha, yeah whatever. I'll have you know that I'm not bitter…..anymore that is." She laughed. "Really though, I'm doing really well. I've got a busy day that I'm looking forward to."

"Really, what's going on? How hot is the guy and do I know him?" Kurt asked already getting a little too excited.

"Wow Kurt. Okay, all I'm going to tell you is that it's not what you think. I shouldn't have even mentioned it until I know for sure what's going on. Listen I've got to get going. I just got back from running and I'm sure you're tired. I'll call you a little later though okay?"

"Mmmhmmm. You're not fooling me, but okay for now. Love ya! Later."

"Love ya too. Bye!" She hung up and placed the phone down before heading for the bathroom.

After a 30-minute shower she came out of the bathroom as always feeling very refreshed. She dried off, put on her favorite raspberry-mango body lotion and got dressed. She left her hair in the towel and left for the kitchen to make some breakfast.

She was in the mood for something healthy yet satisfying, so she decided to make a strawberry-banana smoothie before having some cheerios. She went over to the refrigerator and got out the fruit for the smoothie. She began slicing the banana and added the fruit to the blender with the strawberries and yogurt. After a few minutes it was all done and she began preparing her cereal.

When she finished eating about 10 minutes later she went back to her room to begin styling her hair and picking out an outfit for later today. She was planning to surprise her parents with a late lunch to share her good news with them. She knew that in most cases people would tell her she was getting way too ahead of herself, but she didn't care. And she knew her parents would feel the same way, if anything they'd be disappointed that she didn't tell them immediately and she couldn't go on keeping it bottled up anymore. As if they were reading each other's minds, she heard her cell phone ring and felt as if she already knew who it was. She headed over to her nightstand, picked up the cell phone and briefly checked the caller ID before answering. She heard the still relatively unfamiliar yet recognizable voice of Sam.

_'Unbelievable.' _She smiled before speaking. "Hello?"

"Mercedes? Hi, it's me again. Sorry to call you so early. I know I said 'tomorrow,' but didn't give a specific time. I'm not disturbing you am I?"

"No, not at all. I've been up for a while actually….and anxious to hear back from you." She said coyly.

He smiled a bit. "I'm glad to hear that. I mean, that I'm not disturbing you that is." He nervously chuckled.

She found his rambling sweet and giggled.

He spoke again. "I hate to seem forward…but nothing about this situation is necessarily easy or something that I want to put off any longer."

"I agree."

"Good. I was hoping you'd say that. Because…..well I was going to ask if you and I could…..I don't know…maybe meet up. Like sometime today."

Mercedes' eyes shot wide open. "Uh…yeah. Yeah definitely…wow! Well, when would be best for you?"

"I've actually got plans later on today. So I was thinking, since I didn't know when I'd get a hold of you this morning, maybe around 8:30 or 9, whichever is better for you. At Maple Park."

"That's around the corner from me. Sure, Maple Park in about half an hour. I'll see you there."

He smiled slightly, a bit nervous and a whole lot anxious about meeting the woman face-to-face. "Okay. I'll see you." He almost hung up when he heard her speak again. "I'm sorry I didn't hear you."

She giggled again. "I said, here we are talking about meeting up, yet I don't know what you look like. How will I recognize you?"

Sam closed his eyes in momentary shock. He hadn't even considered that. "Right, right I'm sorry. Uhhh…" He paused and looked around for a bit before finally spotting his bearded beanie hat. He knew it was dorky, but at the time he couldn't find or think of anything distinctive enough that would cause her to notice him. "Okay, you'll recognize me because I'll be the guy with the...red goatee."

She was quiet after hearing that at first but put her confusion aside. "Okay…Well, I'll see you soon then."

"Yeah sure. Bye."

"Bye Sam." Mercedes hung up and went into the bathroom to begin her hair. She looked in the mirror and smiled at her reflection. "Well Miss Lady…looks like today's the today."


	7. Meetings and greetings

**A/N: **I'm finally back, y'all! :)

Thank you so much for all the support! I was sick with a horrible cold right after Christmas that lasted on and off until about the 5th (great way to start the New Year, right? :P) and then immediately after I had to begin preparing for my Spring semester classes, which is why I haven't been able to update. I spent my last weeks of break just sleeping, or taking medicine and THEN sleeping lol. On top of that, I felt so awful about the huge delay in time between updates. So to wake up each day, even on the holidays, and see that I've received new ff email alerts, is so heartwarming! Reviews, story subs., author favorites, etc. You guys have been so sweet with your continued encouragement, and I appreciate it!

Okay, since I've already taken too long to update, I'm not going to hold you up much longer.

This chapter is the one you've all been waiting for!

Enjoy!

* * *

7:45 AM

Evans' Residence…

Sam hung up the phone and released a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a few seconds to steady his thoughts and calm down. He had mixed feelings about his up-coming meeting with Mercedes. Although his curiosity fueled his actions, unwillingly to stop him on his quest of discovery, he didn't know if he was going about things properly, the main reason being that he knew communicating with Mercedes without legal advice under the circumstances might not be the best idea. Although she seemed nice enough, the situation was already so messy that things could change very easily. He sighed again. _'Come on man, stay positive.' _With that thought in mind he opened his eyes at the sound of a small moan and looked at Quinn, his second reason for worrying.

"Mmmm Sam," She whimpered as she continued her peaceful slumber, a smile on her face likely indicating that she was currently in the middle of a good dream. He slowly walked over to her side of the bed and bent down to kiss her forehead. He took in her still features and smiled sadly. He hated keeping things from her, but he knew that she wouldn't agree with his stance on all of this, and as much as he hated to admit it, he didn't want to risk her making things worse by letting her emotions run wild instead of thinking clearly. With a heavy heart, he slowly stood upright and went over to the chest of drawers to get some clothes. He got out a plain green t-shirt and blue jeans along with a pair of boxers and a towel. He closed the drawers and began walking to the bathroom for a shower and to further prepare to leave for the morning.

About 15 minutes later, he re-emerged fully dressed and slowly walked over to the closet to get his shoes. He selected a pair of blue converses and put them on quickly but quietly. Then he picked up the red hat he'd need for later on, and put it in his pocket. When he was done at the closet he walked back over to his bedside table to grab his wallet, cell phone and keys then headed for the door. Once he was outside of the room, he closed it quietly, and looked towards Makyira's bedroom. He smiled_. 'I love you, sweetie.'_ Slowly he walked down the hall to the staircase, descended the stairs and exited the house.

* * *

Mercedes applied some orange-kiwi flavored gloss to her lips while admiring her reflection in the mirror, a smile slowing formed as she willed herself to literally put on a 'brave face,' though the fact remained that she was scared, terribly scared that somehow the rug would be ripped from underneath her feet. _'They could just be doing this to accommodate me until they find a decent lawyer. After that they'll probably try to file a restraining order or something. What if I end up never seeing her?' _The thought instantly caused Mercedes to stop with her lip gloss and re-close the small tube. She sighed and slipped on a pair of red flats before grabbing her keys and purse.

She exited the apartment, locked the door and went straight toward the elevator to get in. Once she reached the first floor she headed for the front entrance of the building. Since it was such a beautiful morning, the weather absolutely perfect, and she had some time to spare, Mercedes decided to walk the short distance to the park. She thought the fresh air would offer her some peace and quiet to think, plus driving while nervous probably wouldn't have been such a good idea.

As she walked down the quiet streets of the city, Mercedes couldn't stop the thoughts that rushed through her head at an insanely rapid pace. She started thinking about her own childhood as she passed her old Elementary School. Then she began wondering what it would've been like to see her daughter have similar experiences. Walking the same school hallways she did as a kid, playing with her friends on the playground before coming home from school and talking non-stop as she discussed everything she learned that day. _'I bet she's smart.' _Mercedes thought with a smile as she approached the park entrance and walked down the pathway to a bench. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt her cell phone ring, but she ignored it until the ringing stopped. She couldn't speak to anyone right now, so she turned off her cell phone and sat down on the bench.

* * *

8:30 AM…

Sam pulled into the parking lot and parked the car in one of the numerous spaces. He released a deep breath in another attempt to calm his nerves and turned off the ignition. He leaned back in his seat against the headrest for a while before finally forcing himself up. He looked into the rearview mirror and applied some cherry chapstick. He then took the hat out of his pocket and put it on. _'Geez Sam. Could you be a bigger fool?' _When he was done he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door. He stepped out and locked the car before walking up the path to the park.

He began looking around, seeing only a few joggers and some elderly people feeding the ducks near the pond. No one he'd suspect was the person he was here to see.

_'Maybe I should call her.'_ He thought before checking the time on his phone. It had only been five minutes since he got here. _'Nah, it's only 8:35.' _Just as he brought his attention up from his phone, he discovered he had done so about a second too late, as he crashed into one the tables and flipped over flat on his back.

Mercedes had heard the commotion and looked over at a nearby table where she saw a tall white guy laying on the ground. With the intensity of his fall she was concerned about whether or not he was okay. She grabbed her purse and went to assist him.

When she reached his side she saw him sitting up slightly, brushing the dirt off of his hands and pants. "Sir, are you okay? I was over there and -" Mercedes stopped speaking when she saw the man's costume-like hat. She was a bit puzzled but suddenly a thought entered her mind. _'A red goatee.' _She squinted as if in disbelief. Shock quickly took her over, clouding her mind completely. Although she still wasn't sure, she decided to go for it. Hesitantly she asked. "Are…are you Sam Evans?"

Sam was still focused on his clothing when he heard her speak. He recognized her voice immediately. Looking up he saw a beautiful woman, with shoulder-length curly black hair. She was wearing a red top that accentuated her large bust and a pair of denim skinny jeans. He had to contain his dorky expression, instead choosing to just answer her question before he did something stupid again. "Yeah, that's me." He quickly got up from the ground, standing directly in front of her. He looked into her eyes. "Mercedes Jones?"

She nodded frantically. "Yes."

Sam smiled. Internally he was ready to burst with excitement, but he didn't want to come across too strong and give her the wrong impression about him. He toned down his cheerful happiness and reached out his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Mercedes smiled back, grasping his larger hand in both of her smaller ones. "It's nice to meet you too."

* * *

**A/N:** Next update will be posted within a few weeks, because I'll need a bit more time for it since it'll be long.

The next chapter is very important. It mentions a lot about Mercedes' and Mak's pasts, and answers some questions you might have while raising a few new ones (there are also some clues about the identity of Mak's dad. Or one of the possibilities *hint hint*).

Peace!


	8. Meetings and questions

"It's nice to meet you too." Mercedes smiled. "And I can't thank you enough for asking to meet me here today." She smiled at the disguise he wore. "Nice hat by the way."

Sam was in complete awe of the woman in front of him. All the phone calls in the world couldn't have prepared him for seeing her in person. She looked exactly as he imagined she would.

"Mr. Evans? Are you okay?" she asked with a giggle as she gently let go of his hand.

Sam's thought was interrupted. "Oh, yes I'm fine." He removed the now unnecessary headwear. "And really, the pleasure is all mine to be here with you."

"That's sweet." Mercedes looked down, momentarily flustered by his sweet words. She fiddled with her thumbs as she spoke again. "Would you like to have a seat near the pond?"

Sam found her bashfulness adorable, automatically recognizing it as a personality trait that Makyira has as well. "Sure, that'd be great."

* * *

Meanwhile at the Evans'...

At the sound of incessant buzzing coming from the alarm clock, Quinn stirred awake in bed. She yawned and turned it off before rolling over on her back and moving her arm around on Sam's side. She slowly opened her eyes and realized he wasn't there. She looked over at his bedside table and saw that his keys and cell phone were gone too. _'I wonder where he went.'_

Quinn began growing concerned, until she remembered their discussion from the previous night. _'Oh right that project. He's at the office working. He probably just didn't want to disturb me that's all.' _

She smiled and slowly got out of bed to stretch her previously stiff muscles before putting on her socks and slippers. She went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. When she was done she walked over to her vanity and grabbed her ponytail holder. She put her hair up into a messy bun and headed for the door. She walked down the hall to Makyira's room and knocked softly. "Morning Angel. Time to get up."

She opened the door and saw Makyira sound asleep, clutching her gray teddy bear tightly against her chest. Quinn walked over to the bed and rubbed Mak's bed-head hair as she bent over to whisper in her ear. "Sweetie, time to wake up. We're having pancakes soon." She said.

Makyira moved around a bit before her eyes opened. She turned over to look at Quinn with a smile. "Mmmm pancakes." She said dreamingly.

Quinn laughed and sat on the edge of the bed. "Yes silly girl. You ready to come downstairs?"

Makyira rubbed her eyes and yawned before nodding her head.

"Okay, I'm going to get the ingredients ready. You want to help me in the kitchen today?"

Mak's eyes widened. "Really? I can help? But you told me last time that I was too little."

"I know, but I think you're responsible enough to handle it." Quinn playfully pinched Mak's nose. "Besides, I think this is something special we can do. Just the two of us."

"What about daddy? He likes helping too."

"Actually Daddy went downtown this morning. But maybe he'll be back before we're done cooking."

Makyira sat up in bed. "Can we make a bunch of different kinds of pancakes? I like them with whipped cream on top, but I like chocolate chips like daddy does too. And you like them with bananas."

Quinn laughed again. "Yep, we can make as many as you want."

"Great!" Makyira hugged Quinn before hurrying out of bed. She put on her slippers and rushed to go wash up.

* * *

From the bench area where they currently sat, Mercedes and Sam had the best view of the water as well as the rest of the park.

"The view is great." Sam said as he looked at the ducks gathered near the corner of the pond, just a few feet down the hill from them.

"Yeah, this is my favorite spot in the park. I used to come here all the time when I was younger. I'd sit right over there-" She said while pointing to a large Maple tree. "-and just think."

Sam was intrigued. "Think about what?" He asked.

Mercedes was quiet for a while. She cast a slightly sad look towards the once sacred, shaded area. "A lot of things, really." She looked down at her feet momentarily before continuing. "I mean, how could I not? The scenery is so beautiful I'd be crazy not to take advantage of it." Her smile returned as she spoke. "I brought Makyira here a few times when she was a baby."

Sam noticed the momentary change in her demeanor, but nodded at her response. After she mentioned moments she'd had with Makyira he proceeded to ask "Really?"

"Yeah, she loved blowing the dandelions and making wishes. I have so many pictures." Mercedes said with a chuckle. "Speaking of which….." She grabbed her purse and retrieved her wallet. She opened it up and scanned through the countless number of pictures stored in one of the transparent pockets. Her eyes lit up when she found the main photo she was looking for. "Here it is." She handed it to Sam.

Sam was transfixed as he stared at the picture in his hands. Makyira looked to be no more than a year old. She wore a multi-colored dress, while holding the small flower tightly in her hand and sitting in Mercedes' lap. Mercedes appeared to be heavier back then, though still beautiful wearing a green maxi dress. The photo captured the moment the two of them blew the fluffy, dried petals into the summer breeze. Sam smiled. "Would you believe that she still loves doing that?" He asked referring to the picture.

"I guess some things never change." Mercedes laughed.

Sam nodded and looked into Mercedes' brown eyes. He noted the resemblance between mother and daughter. Though Makyira's eyes often appeared to have hints of a lighter-chestnut brown in the sunlight, the color was otherwise identical. Even their laughs were similar. "I guess you're right about that." He reached into his pocket and got his cell phone. He brought up his photo albums and handed her the phone. "There are tons of pictures, so feel free to take your time."

Mercedes smiled then selected the first photo. Upon seeing it she nearly fell out of her seat. It was dated to have been taken just last night, the photo of Makyira pigging out on pizza. Like always Quinn had sent it to Sam's phone right after she took the picture.

Mercedes looked at Sam whom had never taken his eyes off of her. She chuckled again before pinching the bridge of her nose and tilting her head back a bit to take a deep breath. Eventually she was able to regain composure and spoke softly. "Oh my God..." She touched the phone's screen, caressing the image. "She's beautiful. And she's gotten so big."

A couple of minutes passed, and Mercedes went through what seemed like hundreds of pictures of Makyira throughout all her years with the Evans. "You have no idea how much I needed this." She smiled gratefully.

Sam placed his hand on top of Mercedes' right one rested in her lap. "She's a magnificent girl, Mercedes. Each day, our love for her grows more than we ever thought possible. From the beginning she's brought such happiness to our lives. She means everything. You should be so proud of her."

Mercedes was deeply touched by the heartfelt words. She sniffled before responding. "Thank you so much Sam."

He smiled and looked at the photo on display. "Trust me, I should be thanking you."

* * *

9:45 AM...

Quinn and Mak sat at the kitchen table eating the enormous pancake feast they finished preparing a few minutes ago.

Makyira licked the excessive amounts of chocolate off of her fingers as she ate, occasionally sampling pancakes from one of the other two plates in front of her. She'd been adamant about having at least one of each of the different flavored flapjacks. "You think daddy's going to like the ones I made?"

Quinn poured her some orange juice. "Of course he will."

"He will even though I burnt them?" She asked.

"Sweetie, it wasn't that bad. And even if it was he'll love them anyway because you made them yourself."

Makyira smiled. "Okay." She looked at the plate stacked with crispy, scorched clumps. Clearly she'd been too blinded by her excitement to focus on the task at hand. She began laughing. "Mommy, they look horrible."

Quinn looked at the awful food and couldn't help but snort out a laugh of her own. Previously she tried to avoid gazing at the monstrosity in case Mak was at all upset about the way the dish turned out. But now that she had gotten a good look at it, it truly was impossible not to find the whole thing comical. The food resembled charcoal with yellowish, uncooked batter spilling from inside and onto the plate. If that wasn't bad enough, Makyira always the enthusiast covered the chunks in whipped cream anyway, more than likely in hopes that it would add an otherwise non-existent appeal to the food.

As the two continued laughing a knock could be heard at the front door. Quinn calmed herself a bit and slowly arose from her seat. The closer she got to the door the more she heard sounds of arguing coming from the outside. She rolled eyes and chuckled as she grabbed her keys and opened the door. "Well, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!" She yelled over the chaos.

Santana was still in the middle of a heated argument with her 8-year old, queen-of-sass daughter while Brittany stood with concern written all over her face and cradling a cranky Eli in her arms. Upon hearing Quinn, they all got silent. Santana and Rosie slowly replaced their scowls with smiles as if pretending none of the arguing just took place less than a couple of seconds ago. Brittany had also perked up now that the young boy was quiet. She looked at Quinn like a deer caught in headlights. "...Surprise!"

Quinn shook her head. "Brit, are you serious?"

"You know she is." Santana laughed as she placed a hand on Brittany's shoulder.

"Hi Auntie Q." Rosie said as she stepped forward and hugged around her midsection. Quinn squeezed the young girl and bent down to give her a kiss on the top of her head.

Santana scoffed. "Oh yeah, just dismiss me why don't you. You're sweet for everyone else EXCEPT me! Mmhmm, I see how it is." Santana tossed her long, dark hair over her shoulder.

Rosie turned around to face her mom and placed her hands on her hips. "That's because I like everybody but you!" She stuck out her tongue.

Santana mocked the gesture and rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Quinn smiled and stepped back to allow the group space to enter the house. Once everyone was inside, she closed the door. "What are you guys doing here so early?" She asked as she took Eli out of Brittany's arms and smothered him with kisses.

"We just wanted to come over and see how you guys were doing. The kids have plans later on with Puck and Sam, so I figured I'd bring Rosie and Eli here since we were coming anyway. We called you earlier to go out for breakfast, but you didn't answer so we just came by." Santana said.

"Where's Mak?" Rosie asked. She quickly got a whiff of the slightly burnt smell lingering in the air. "And what reeks?"

Santana poked a ticklish spot on the girl's neck, causing her to giggle. "Hush up Niña. That's not nice." As soon as she finished speaking, she smelt it too. "Geez Q, what is that?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "I'll explain it to you later." Just then, the sounds of pots and pans falling could be heard coming from the kitchen. "Makyira, come here sweetie!"

After a few seconds, Mak opened the door and chuckled while giving Quinn a phony smile. "…Heyyy mom."

Quinn shook her head with a smile. "Don't even think about trying that 'Hey mom' on me. What are you doing in there?"

"Ohhh nothing…just trying to clean up." Makyira walked into the living room and smiled when she saw the houseguests. "Auntie 'Tana, Aunt Brit-Brat!" She said as went over to hug the two women. She then saw Rosie and they engaged in their best-friend handshake. "Mommy, can we clean up now so we can watch a movie after?" Mak asked.

"Oooo I want to watch a movie too!" Rosie exclaimed as she linked arms with Makyira.

"Yeah me thwee!" said an excited Eli. Quinn set him down on the floor and he ran over to stand with the girls, grabbing Makyira's free hand.

"We already know you're three Eli! We're talking about watching a movie." Rosie said slightly annoyed.

Quinn and Santana laughed while Brittany stood with a bit of a perplexed look on her face. "I don't get it." Brittany said as she looked at the two women.

The statement only caused them to laugh harder before eventually calming down. Santana touched Brittany's cheek and gave her a kiss while Quinn spoke to the children. "Well why don't you all go upstairs while us mommies take care of the cleaning."

"Make sure you don't turn on anything your brother isn't allowed to see while he's with you though, okay?" Santana said.

"We won't." The girls said in unison.

Eli frowned a bit. "Aww mommy, I big boy!"

"No." Santana stated authoritatively.

He pouted as Makyira lead him and Rosie upstairs to her room.

Quinn walked towards the kitchen while Santana and Brittany followed behind her. Upon entering, Santana and Brittany were shocked at the mess.

Santana looked around before looking back at Quinn. "What the hell was going on in here?"

"Quinn, how could you have a food fight without inviting us? You know it was Lord Tubbington's favorite activity next to pie-eating contests. And smoking Cuban cigars." Brittany said.

Quinn opened one of the bottom cabinets and began gathering the cleaning products. She tossed a sponge and dishrag over to Santana and Brittany. "We didn't have a food fight, Brit. I thought that Makyira would like it if we made breakfast together. She just got a little messy with the batter that's all." Quinn said as she began wiping down the countertops. "The rest of them turned out great though."

Brittany put a flapjack on a plate and grabbed a fork before pouring on some syrup. She cut into the food and smiled as she took a large bite. "Mmmm...yeah they did."

Santana heard Brittany's reaction and walked over to her. She took a bite as well and couldn't control the moan she immediately released. "Oh man...these are so good. You should seriously make them more often."

"Yeah well you should seriously be so grateful we're not cheerios anymore." Quinn laughed as they finally stopped pigging out and started cleaning.

Brittany put all the cooking ingredients back in their correct places and Quinn finished wiping down the counters and table.

Santana wrapped up the leftover food and put it in Tupperware. "So where's Guppy lips this morning?" She asked as she went over to the sink.

Quinn gathered the plates and then they all began rinsing and loading them into the dishwasher. "Sam's downtown working."

"On the weekend? I thought he never did that?"

"He doesn't, it's just some new project that he's stressed out about. I saw him speaking to Puck about it over the phone last night. I guess he's just making sure everything's ready to go for next week."

"Really? Puck didn't mention anything about it to me." Santana turned her attention back to the dishes. "But then again, he and his secrets are part of the reason why we got divorced in the first place." _'Lying, cheating, stupid-' _

"Whoa, calm down. I can practically see the steam coming from your ears. Maybe he didn't want to worry you. Sam didn't outright tell me either."

"Yeah San, maybe he just didn't feel like talking about it." Brit said as she squeezed Santana's hand.

"It's probably no big deal anyway. You know the guys, remember, 'overprotective'?" Quinn laughed.

Santana wasn't so sure, but a part of her did feel like she was acting like an overdramatic, jealous ex. "Yeah, maybe."

"Besides, I know Sam's looking forward to spending time with Makyira today. If anything he wanted to work now so he'd have the rest of the weekend free."

"Speaking of Sam and Mak, how are you guys dealing with…you know…all that's happening?" Santana asked.

Quinn was quiet for a bit. "Um…well, as good as can be expected I guess. We decided to call…Mercedes, sometime today. My mom's timing couldn't be more perfect, I really need to talk to her about this. But I don't know how I'm going explain it all to everyone else when the time comes."

Santana felt sorry for her friend. "Don't worry about all that just yet Q. I think it'd be best if you just focus on you three right now, especially Makyira."

"Yeah how's she doing?" Brittany asked.

They finished loading all the dishes. "She's been fine for the most part. She's a kid so I pretty much figured she'd just roll with it, you know. She's really curious about meeting Mercedes though, which is fine I guess, but…" She dried her hands off.

"But what?" Both women asked as they all made their way back into the living room.

Quinn sat on the loveseat. "…I don't know. I just…I guess a part of me is just trying to be as resilient as Makyira, but it's hard. This is happening too fast, and that makes me feel really uneasy." She rubbed the back of her neck.

"What does Sam think about it?" Santana asked.

Quinn chuckled a bit. "I swear, sometimes it's like she's not even adopted. They both have that resilience. He was fine after are talk last night." Quinn smiled to herself.

Brittany and Santana noticed, and Santana decided to have a little fun with it. "Something tells me that your 'talk' didn't go down the way my talks with Sam do."

Quinn looked at her fingernails, trying to hide her growing smile. "Not since high school at least." She looked at Santana and burst into a fit of laughter.

Brittany laughed too as Santana made fake gagging noises. "Ugh, no no no. We're not discussing any of that right now! As far as I'm concerned, Froggy lips and I NEVER happened! I plead temporary insanity!" Santana folded her arms across her chest and pouted, looking away from the others.

Quinn and Brittany high-fived each other as they continued laughing. Brittany pinched Santana's cheek. "Awww come on 'Tana. If Quinn can move on from it why can't you? I mean hey, it's not like we all haven't done it." She began laughing again as the rest of the room went quiet.

Quinn and Santana stared at Brittany in shock. "WHAT?!" They yelled.

* * *

Sam and Mercedes laughed as they finished talking about their childhoods. They'd learned a lot about each other and found out that they had a lot in common, like the fact that they both have southern roots, Sam's family originally being from Nashville, Tennessee while Mercedes' is from Atlanta, Georgia. They both love Sci-Fi books/TV/movies, 'Star Trek' being the #1 favorite. And they both love music and singing.

"I just can't figure it out. There's something about you that seems so familiar, Mercedes." Sam said.

"I know what you mean. Maybe you've seen me around the city, or at school. You said you went to McKinley right?" She asked.

"Yeah, I graduated class of '08."

"Really? 2012!" She said pointing to herself.

He nodded. "Yeah, I figured. But I don't think that's it. I pretty much left and never looked back until after college. I went to Northwestern, so I planned on remaining out of state until my parents asked me to take care of the business here."

"You're in charge of your family's business?" Mercedes asked.

"Yeah, 'Evans' Construction, Manufacturing and Development Inc.' It's always been really important to my dad, so when he, my mom and my siblings moved back to Tennessee a few years ago, he wanted to make sure he didn't have to worry about the company while he was away."

"I don't understand. If you didn't want the position in the first place, what made you decide to take it on permanently?"

Sam's once happy face now displayed a sad frown. "Well, my mom got some bad news about her health, and the stress became too much for her after a while. So she and the rest of my family moved back to the simple 'country life' not long after her diagnosis. She, um…she died last year. Heart Disease."

Mercedes looked at her hands, sorry that she'd asked. "I'm sorry Sam. I didn't mean to bring it up."

"No it's okay, you didn't know." He watched as she looked at him again, and gave her another smile. "Besides, it's nice to talk about her. Remember her."

She was a bit confused. "Don't you talk about her with anyone else?"

"Not really, especially since my dad and my siblings Stevie and Stacey are in Tennessee. They're graduating from high school this year, so you can imagine how hard my sister took it. And everyone else tries to avoid mentioning it…well, for the most part." Sam said with a slight edge.

"What do you mean?"

Sam thought back to his conversation with Quinn yesterday. Although he knew she didn't mean to hurt him, he was disappointed in her careless choice of words in regards to his mom. "Never mind, I just had a small argument with my wife yesterday. Sometimes we seem to be on different pages."

Mercedes nodded. "I understand. My boyfriend and I can be the same way."

Sam quickly looked at her. For some reason, he was a little disappointed when he heard her mention a boyfriend. _'Disappointed? I just met her. AND I'M MARRIED!' _ He tried to play it off. "Really?"

She forced on a smile. "Yeah, but we always work it out."

Sam smiled back before casting a glance at the ground momentarily.

Mercedes continued. "But I know what you mean, about people sometimes choosing the wrong times to give you space. When you lose someone...it's important to talk about it." She grew sad for a moment, but tried to force another smile. "I mean, my grandmother was lucky that she survived her stroke, but our family still came together to pray or talk, or even just to have a cry about it when needed." Mercedes said.

_*flashback*_

_April 19, 2020_

_Lima County Hospital..._

_The sound of Mercedes' heels clicked loudly as she searched frantically for Georgia Jones' hospital room. The smell of bleach was heavy in the air as she approached the room door. From her spot in the hallway she could see her parents Margaret and Leonard at Georgia's bedside, Leonard held his mother's hand tightly. _

_Slowly, she entered the room, her eyes glued to the 60-year old woman confined to the hospital bed. She looked sad and weak as the nurse checked her vitals. Mercedes' grandfather Ronald immediately rushed up from his seat beside the bed and over to hug the young woman. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "Mercy baby, it's so good to see you." _

_Mercedes' tried to remain strong as she clung to her grandfather in return. "It's good to see you too grandpa. I'm sorry I didn't call you back. I got your message, but the second I heard 'hospital' I just rushed over." She looked towards the bed again. "What's going on?" She asked shakily._

_"The doctors say it was a minor stroke. But-"_

_"-but_ _I'll make a full recovery. You should know me better than that, girl." Georgia said slowly. The nurse smiled as she finished up before telling them she'd return later with the doctor to see how she's doing. After she left, Georgia pressed the remote to operate the bed so she sat upright. _

_"Mama, take it easy. You should be resting." Said Leonard, worried about his mother._

_"Quiet. I tell you I'm fine. Just a little woozy, that's all. Besides…." She adjusted the pillows with Margaret's help. "...I'll get more than enough rest once that shot kicks in." She said between yawns. "But until then, I want to speak with my granddaughter. Alone."_

_Ronald smiled while Leonard and Margaret looked at their daughter before turning their attention back to Georgia. "Are you sure you're not overdoing it?" Margaret asked._

_"Of course I'm sure. I'll be fine."_

_Ronald patted Mercedes on the shoulder. "We'll be at the cafeteria if you need us." He walked over to the door as Leonard and Margaret made their way over. The parents kissed their daughter before exiting the room. _

_Once alone, Mercedes looked at the closed door and then at the TV in the corner of the room, anything to avoid eye contact with the older woman._

_"Come here, baby." Georgia said softly._

_Mercedes slowing turned to face her as she made her way over to the bed. She sat down in one of the chairs and looked into her grandmother's tired eyes. She grabbed her hand. "So, how do you really feel?" _

_"Sore...But that's probably because of me tripping down the stairs." She wiggled her legs around underneath her blanket to get some circulation. "Otherwise, I'd say I was blessed that it wasn't anything more serious."_

_Mercedes looked at her hands before focusing on her grandmother's eyes. "You're going to be okay though, right?"_

_"Oh yes. The doctors say that despite my age, this shouldn't affect my health in the future. And I'm going to make sure of that, starting now."_

_She nodded and remained quiet._

_Georgia noticed. She rubbed Mercedes' hand. "Tell me what's wrong." _

_Mercedes was unable to hold back her tears any longer. As they began falling down her cheeks, she rested her head on the bed next to her and her grandmother's clasped hands. Georgia slowly lifted her other hand and rubbed Mercedes' hair._

_Mercedes sniffled. "I was really worried when I got grandpa's message."_

_Georgia nodded slowly._

_"On my drive over here, I...I just...I thought the worst had happened, gran." She looked at the woman. "So much has already happened, I couldn't handle losing you." She cried. "Too many people have already gone. They've left, they've been taken away. I just know I could never handle losing anyone else that I love." _

_Georgia traced her fingers down the side of Mercedes' face until she reached her chin. "Listen to me, okay? I want you to listen carefully. Don't say anything. Just listen to what I have to say." _

_Mercedes looked confused. "Gran, I don't-"_

_Georgia put her finger against Mercedes' lips. "Shhh, I told you to listen." _

_Mercedes' took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."_

_Georgia smiled. "Good." She looked at Mercedes' teary eyes. "I need you to understand something. What happened with Makyira was not your fault."_

_Mercedes was quick to deny that the thoughts had ever entered her mind, but Georgia knew better. _

_"And don't try to deny it. Grandma knows everything." She said with a bit of a cocky tone, earning a smile and small laugh from Mercedes before getting back to the point. "I know that you've been blaming yourself all this time. We all know, and honestly I can't understand how your mother and father have allowed this to go on as long as it has."_

_Mercedes tried hard to remain quiet, though she was just itching to state her rebuttal. _

_"And don't you try to deny that either, because you know it's true. He's your daddy, but he's my son. I've got the right to tell him like it is. That's goes for your mama too." Frustration and anger etched her face. She rubbed Mercedes' hand. "It's just not right. And I'm tired of it. This family will not continue sweeping things under the rug and avoiding them like that'll just make them go away. I'm ashamed that I ever did, and I'm using what happened today as a sign. " _

_Mercedes looked surprised at her grandmother. _

_"I knew it from the beginning that this wasn't the type of thing that you just let someone shut you out of, but I tried respecting your mother and father's wishes. They said that they thought it'd be best to just give you some time to heal in your own way, but I knew they were wrong."_

_Mercedes shook her head._

_"Yes, honey. I was. And all that has led us to where we are now." She squeezed Mercedes' hand. "Baby, I'll always be proud of the remarkable young lady you've become. But if you're-" She pointed at Mercedes. "-not happy, then what does any of it mean?"_

_Mercedes looked at their hands, then back at her grandmother's tear-streaked face._

_"Despite being a single teenager, juggling school and work, you were and still are a great mother. Makyira was always happy, and that's because of you. She loved you as much as you loved her. You took great care of her, your care had nothing to do with why she was taken away. The courts took her because of that devil in red, born without compassion. Anyone with eyes could see that the fire was a mistake that hasn't happened again. You weren't even there, but for whatever reason they wanted to blame someone, so their easiest choice was the 'kid raising a kid.' It's immoral!" _

_Mercedes felt more tears rush down her cheeks as she thought about the day she'd been told that her little girl was going to be put in foster care. They took her away without a care in the world while she was left feeling as though her world was turned upside-down. It was the worst day of her life._

_"But we can't give up. That little girl deserves to know her mother. You deserve to see her. I want to see my great-granddaughter and NO ONE can take that away from us." Georgia wiped away her own tears. "Now we have another chance. You're probation is long since over, that lawyer said that we have a case, and you know who's adopted her." She grabbed both of Mercedes hands in her own. "Things might not have gone the way we'd hoped they would in the past, but they will now. You have to believe that honey, and you have to believe that you deserve this. I promise you, no matter what, we're going to get her back." _

_Mercedes broke down and hugged her grandmother. She tried to calm down and wiped her eyes, though her crying continued as the older woman rubbed her back and cried along with her. _

_This is what she needed. After all these years, she'd finally gotten the words of encouragement of which she knew only her grandmother was capable. Not the pitiful pats on the shoulder or the gloomy glances when in her presence to avoid saying the wrong things. Someone had finally said what she needed to hear. That she could, should and WOULD get to be with her daughter again._

_*end of flashback* _

"I'm sorry to hear that." Sam said honestly.

Mercedes slowly came out of her deep thought and back into the present. "...Thanks, but really its fine. It was recent and all, but she's okay. I think the reason that I carry it around with me so much is because of how close we've always been."

"Sounds like my relationship with my grandparents." Sam said with a smile. He looked over to the pond again with a thought of his own before deciding to change the topic of their discussion. "Mercedes, can I ask you something a little personal?"

She tried to hide how nervous the question made her. "Uh, yeah sure. Go ahead."

He took a moment to find the right words. "I don't mean to pry or anything. I'm sure you can understand my position. I…well…"

"Sam, its fine. You can ask me anything." She smiled.

He finally put aside his doubts and asked her the question that he'd desperately wanted to avoid, but at the same time it had been on his mind heavily. "...Who's Makyira's biological father?"

* * *

**A/N: **FYI everyone, this is the first of MANY flashbacks throughout the story from this point on. I'm estimating on average about one flashback per chapter, for a while.

So what did you think? Let me know, and I hope you enjoyed.


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